WAIPAHU — There were few highlights in Kohala’s 11-0 loss, but one stood taller than everything else: Chyler Imai and her teammates cheering each other until the very end.
WAIPAHU — There were few highlights in Kohala’s 11-0 loss, but one stood taller than everything else: Chyler Imai and her teammates cheering each other until the very end.
Waipahu scored 11 runs in the first two innings, and Tristan-Marie Souza-Aikala fired a no-hitter to blank the Cowgirls in the first round of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state softball tournament on Wednesday at Central Oahu Regional Park.
Kohala (10-5) made its third straight state tournament this season, and for the second consecutive year, the Cowgirls ran into a Waipahu buzzsaw in the first round.
Last year, Waipahu beat Kohala 15-0 in another game that ended after five innings because of the state’s 10-run mercy rule.
The Marauders (12-1), the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s No. 3 team, looked no different than a year ago.
“They’re good. Waipahu is just a good team,” Kohala coach Terrence Alcoran said. “They outclassed us. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the championship. They’re in a different category.
“We never hit and had plenty of errors. But after that, we settled down and did OK. We’re still very young. Hopefully, next year we can contend.”
Kohala, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up, will play BIIF No. 3 seed Honokaa at 5 p.m. today in the seventh-place bracket semifinals. The winner will advance to Friday’s 7 p.m. seventh-place game.
The Cowgirls start three freshmen: shortstop Denae Rivera, second baseman Ashlyn Van Zandt and catcher Tomiko Coito. But they also lose three valuable seniors in Imai, outfielder Jordelle Antonio and third baseman Casey Utemei.
Souza-Aikala threw pretty hard, hit her spots and stayed away from the middle of the plate, rarely running into trouble. She allowed one walk — to Imai in the second — and struck out four.
The Cowgirls had only one really good shot at snapping the no-hitter. In the fifth, pinch hitter Delani McAuley hit a sinking line drive, but right fielder Kylie Nishino made a shoestring catch.
In the first inning, the Marauders scored seven runs on four hits, stealing five bases and taking advantage of three errors. They finished 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts.
Nishino did the most damage. She was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Imai, who also lost last year against Waipahu, went the distance. She allowed 11 runs — eight earned — on nine hits, walking two and striking out one.
But after her two tough innings, the senior right-hander pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, getting help from her defense to throw cold water on Waipahu’s hot bats.
“In the beginning we were a little nervous,” Imai said. “It took us a little bit to calm down. Then we played our game. Our defense started to work.
“When it was 11-0 (after two innings), I thought to have fun and play the rest of the game and not give up. It was about having fun and playing in our last games of the season, and trying to savor every moment of it.”
The Cowgirls had two defensive gems. They turned a double play in the third, and center fielder Antonio made a sliding catch on her knees the next inning.
For a freshman like Van Zandt, she gained something, despite a lopsided defeat.
“It’s a good learning experience,” she said. “When we work together and stay up, our team stays up, too. We held our heads high and stayed positive the whole game.”
Waipahu 740 00 — 11 9 1
Kohala 000 00 — 0 0 6
c Kalaheo 12, Honokaa 4: Kayla Requelman got Honokaa off to a good start, cracking a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.
Then it was Kalaheo’s turn to bat and the hits never stopped coming.
The Mustangs (11-4), the Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-up, enjoyed a 14-hit parade and outslugged the Dragons.
Honokaa’s Kayla Kalauli was in constant trouble.
In five innings, the sophomore right-hander surrendered 12 runs — 10 earned — on 14 hits. She walked three and struck out none.
Hailey Paglinawan pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two.
Offensively, Requelman was 1-for-2 with three RBIs, while Allie Shiraki and Kawehi Bell-Kaaekuahiwi each went 2-for-2 for the Dragons (8-8).
Kalaheo’s Mahina Turner got roughed up over four innings but earned the win. She yielded four runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three. Sarah Fitzherbert-Velasco cleaned up with two scoreless innings.
Tiana Cocker went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Mustangs.
The Mustangs scored seven runs on four hits in the first, also benefiting from three errors.
Honokaa 300 100 0 — 4 6 5
Kalaheo 730 020 x — 12 14 0
Volleyball
c Waiakea 3, Waipahu 0: Mamane Namahoe smacked 12 kills, and Ian Witten and Donovan Hoohuli each posted five as Waiakea swept Waipahu 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 at Oahu’s McKinley High in the first round of the HHSAA Division I tournament.
Dillon Rellez added four kills, and Manny Malasaga and Mano Thomson each added three for the BIIF runner-up Warriors (14-3), who advanced to face top-seeded Punahou (15-0) of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal today at McKinley.
Water polo
c Waiakea 4, Roosevelt 3: Lauren Hill returned from a eye injury to spark Waiakea with a hat trick, and Jillian Hughes added a goal as the Warriors beat the Roughriders at in the first round of the HHSAA tournament at Honolulu’s Duke Kahanamuku Aquatic Center.
The BIIF runner-up Warriors (10-3) will face top-seeded Punahou (6-0) at 6 p.m. today in the quarterfinals.