WAIMEA — Waimea High School girls softball went to the long ball and great defense to catch Kauai High School, 13-6 during the Kauai Interscholastic Federation softball game, Wednesday at the Waimea Canyon Park.
The Raiders jumped off the bus and cranked out a 4-run second inning behind a pair of hits to set the pace behind an early 4-0 lead.
With no outs, Kaya Camara got aboard on a Menehune miscue followed by Kassidie Bukoski singling. Keiley Albarado-Planas marked the first run on an RBI single that pushed Camara home, and an error got Brandy Aldrich aboard and scored Bukoski.
Albarado-Planas marked her run on a Menehune wild pitch, and Leinoe Bumanglag-Padilla pushed Aldrich home when she got first base on another Waimea error.
The Menehune settled down to some serious offense to answer that 0-4 deficit, marking six runs on three hits in the third, and added another six runs in the fourth frame on five hits, including a two-run homer from Makeyah Wisneski in the third, and a three-run over-the-fencer by Maegan Soares in the fourth frame that resulted in the Raider center fielder being injured after pursuing the ball into the fence.
Kauai’s bats were quiet in response, being held to just a single hit in the third, fourth, and sixth frames.
Raider shortstop Justice Funamura-Sasil whacked into a double to open the seventh, and crossed on a Waimea error for the final Kauai mark. Pitcher Dreanalynn Tafiti singled with no outs, and Waileia Siale-Santos walked to first before Jadyn-Minnie Naka‘ahiki line drived to the Waimea pitcher, Shandalyn Kuhlmann, who engineered the triple play by tossing to first, and then to second base to catch the Raider runners on the base paths.
Overall, the Menehune win came on 12 hits led by the homeruns from Wisneski and Soares. Kieren Henderson marked three runs batted in on a pair of singles, and catcher Aliyah Nordmeier-Kanahele marked two RBI on her single in the fourth. Leiko Yamauchi marked an RBI in the third frame before nailing a single in the home half of the sixth.
Albarado-Planas scored twice and marked an RBI on a pair of singles to lead the Raider lumberyard. Funamura-Sasil marked a double and a single, and scored once. Pitcher Tafiti tried to help herself out, finishing with a pair of singles in four at-bats. Camara and Bukoski each scored once and singled.
On the mounds, Kuhlmann picked up the win, watching six runs cross on eight Raider hits while walking three and striking out a pair.
Tafiti suffered the loss, going the distance despite the warm ups being taken by a reliever, giving up a dozen hits for the Menehune’s 13 runs, nine being earned. She struck out four Menehune hitters while walking four, and hit one Menehune.
Waimea looks at a bye until Wednesday when they travel to the Kapaa High School field to face the Warriors in a single game starting at 3:30 p.m.
Kauai will host the Warriors, Saturday in a double-header at Isenberg Park. The first pitch for the night games start at 3 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
