Looking back, Waiakea might have trailed, but it had Hilo right where it wanted it. ADVERTISING Looking back, Waiakea might have trailed, but it had Hilo right where it wanted it. Junior Jourdan Perreira was getting into a groove in
Looking back, Waiakea might have trailed, but it had Hilo right where it wanted it.
Junior Jourdan Perreira was getting into a groove in the circle, and the two-time defending BIIF Division I champion Warriors had one of their best batters, Jolene Hirata, disguised as the No. 9 hitter.
Throw in solid contributions from a promising group of ready-to-play freshmen, and Waiakea was off and running to the best of outcomes on opening day, coming back to beat the rival Vikings 10-6 on their field.
Hilo was undone by eight errors at Walter Victor Stadium, ruining a fine performance from junior pitcher Zoe Cabarloc, who allowed only three earned runs in a complete game.
“We need to shore up our defense,” coach Kelly Galdones said. “We did the same thing as last year.
“I told our girls that for us to be able to compete with Waiakea, the defense needs to be on point.”
The win made sense to Waiakea coach Bo Saiki in that Hirata, an all-BIIF outfielder, had two run-scoring singles among her three hits from the bottom of the order, while Perreira shook off some early control issues to retire seven consecutive batters in the late innings.
“Jolene, if she doesn’t try to pull everything and she goes with the pitch, she’s an excellent hitter,” Saiki said. “If I throw her down in the lineup, she doesn’t have the tension or the pressure.”
Perreira, a junior who figures to be a team workhorse because Alyssa Hara isn’t playing her senior year, walked three batters and hit three more as the Vikings took a 6-3 lead into the fifth, getting a pair of RBI singles from Patricia Marcus. Perreira regrouped to work 6 1/3 innings.
“Jourdan is always like that,” Saiki said. “The first two innings are always a struggle.”
Hirata led off the fifth with a single and later scored with the help of an error, and she provided a key two-out hit in the sixth to score freshman Halee Sweat to make the score 6-5. Leadoff hitter Tierra Teves (2 for 4) walked, and two runs came home when Kristi Hirata’s ground ball was misplayed.
“I didn’t really care where I hit,” Jolene Hirata said. “I’ll take any position for the team. I’m nothing compared to everyone else. It takes a team to win.”
Batting in front of Hirata in the Nos. 6-8 spots were three freshman: Sweat (three hits), Johnacy Mackwelung (tw0) and Kelsie Imai, who played sure-handed at second base in place of Brandee Chinen.
“We’re skilled and experienced, but most of all we bring positivity,” said Sweat, who scored three runs before coming on in relief of Perreira to secure the final two outs.
Three more Hilo errors in the seventh led to three Waiakea insurance runs.
Carbaloc did more than enough to earn a victory. At the plate, the junior doubled with three hits and scored three runs. Meanwhile, she pitched to her spots, striking out three. She walked five, but she induced Waiakea to hit nine pop-ups on the infield.
“We’re just trying to get her to be more consistent around the plate,” Galdones said. “Pitch to contact and let the defense do the work.”
On an otherwise forgettable day for Hilo in the field, catcher Gaylynn Ha stood out, picking off two base runners with the bases loaded to end Waiakea threats.
Hilo scored three runs in the fourth on Marcus’ run-scoring single, Moana Pinner’s RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Ha. She and Moana Pinner each drove in two runs and Mandi Kawaha was 2 for 4.
Perhaps the Vikings will play cleaner softball after they come back from the Saint Francis tournament on Oahu, an event they leave for Wednesday.
Waiakea, which made two errors, already has made their preseason trip to Oahu.
“I feel I like we have bumps and bruises here and there in the field,” Hirata said, “but we can improve a lot.”
Waiakea 012 013 3 – 10 11 2
Hilo 210 300 0– 6 10 8
