Dung pitches top-seeded Kamehameha over Moanalua

Kamehameha's Christine Hipa connects with a pitch against Moanalua. Evan Asato | SL

Sophomore Kamalani Dung fired a three-hitter, striking out 11, and top-seeded Kamehameha beat Moanalua, 3-1, Thursday in the semifinals of the DataHouse Division I state softball tournament.

The Warriors (16-2) will meet Punahou (18-3) for the state crown, 7 p.m. Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

It is the first all-Interscholastic League of Honolulu finale since 1999, when 'Iolani beat Punahou, 10-0. Kamehameha is in the title game for the first time since 2008, when it beat Mililani, 3-0, for its eighth overall crown in 11 title game appearances. Punahou is making its third appearance in the title game, but still looking for that elusive crown.

Kamehameha and Punahou split their regular-season series. Kamehameha beat Punahou, 1-0, on a no-hitter by Dung. Punahou came back to win, 5-3, with a five-run fifth and a complete-game from Jaci Young in their second meeting.

After a shaky first inning, Dung settled and never allowed Moanalua to have more than one base runner from the second inning on with none reaching third.

"Moanalua's been a great offensive team, especially leading up to today," Kamehameha coach Aloha Yamaguchi said. "We knew we had to come out hard with Kama staying strong. Our (pitching) coach did a good job of mixing it up and she hit her pitches. Kamalani did a good job of keeping their offensive game off-balanced."

Kaya Naiwi's two-run single in the bottom of the first quickly erased the Warriors' 1-0 deficit. Kamehameha got insurance in the fourth when Rachel Dumlao's ground out scored a run.

Moanalua took a 1-0 lead on Dung in the first. Kiana Mattos-Felicilda led off with an infield single, took second on Makamae Kaleikini's sacrifice and an out later, scored on Chrissi Omalza's infield single. Mattos-Felicilda was able to score when home plate was left uncovered.

"The feeling in the beginning was a little low," Dung said. "So we just had to pick it up from the start and the girls did well with that.

"The girls are on. I just want to thank them for always having my back. I can pitch up there, but they do good with their bats. I'm super proud of them."

Dung allowed two of Moanalua's three hits in the first inning. After that, one batter reached on an error, two drew walks and Miki Sylva reached on a one out double in the fifth, but was stranded there.

"Tonight, it was pretty much a scatter of pitches," Dung said. "I just got lucky because of the good pitch-calling from my coaches."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].