KAPA‘A — There will be no Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation softball playoff on Monday based on Waimea High taking 15-3 and 19-5 wins over Kapa‘a High during KIF softball games at Kapa‘a High on Saturday.
Instead, there will be a play-in contest on Wednesday as the Lady Warriors host the Moloka‘i Farmers at 10 a.m. at Kapa‘a High School. The winner of the contest will secure a berth in the 2023 Datahouse Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II Softball Championships that will contest from May 2-5 on O‘ahu.
The winners of the play-in game will join Waimea High, which earned eligibility to the Division II state games with wins on Saturday. With the dual wins, Waimea finishes the season with only one loss.
Kapa‘a, entering Saturday with a one-loss record, finished the KIF season with a three-loss record for second place in the league. That qualified the Lady Warriors to meet the Maui Interscholastic League No. 2, the Moloka‘i Farmers, for a berth in the Division II state tournament.
Waimea, facing a must-win-two situation entering Saturday, finished by going the full seven innings in the opening bout, pushing five runs home in the seventh frame for the 15-3 win behind 15 hits. That included a two-run homer from Sianni Sakai in the seventh, a triple from Leolani Fernandez in the second inning, and a pair of RBI doubles from Ryleah Torres and Kayla Prigge in the seventh inning.
Kapa‘a was limited to six hits and three runs in the opener. Rhea Furtado conked an RBI triple in the fifth frame and singles in the opening and third frames. Other Warriors getting hits included Charlize Kenney, Jaysie-Jean Riveira and Lilinoe Kuhaulua-Leong.
Game two saw the Menehune pick up its 19 runs on 11 hits, led by Kaelyn Banquel, who marked an RBI triple in the first frame, where she was joined by Prigge coming up with an RBI single. The Menehune’s big frame came in the third, when Waimea pushed seven runs across the plate on four hits, led by a two-run single from Alia Lazaro. Torres also marked a two-run double in the fourth inning.
Kapa‘a banged six hits for its five runs in the nightcap, fueled by a two-run homer in the second inning and an RBI triple in the first frame by Furtado. Other Warrior hitters included Hailey Gibson getting a single along with Kenney, Kailee Gorospe and Kuhaulua-Leong.
Waimea’s Taelor Camelo picked up the wins on the mound, striking out five Kapa‘a batters over her 12-inning tour.
Kapa‘a’s Sienna Yamashita, pitching for nine innings over two games, struck out nine Menehune batters.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 ordfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
