Four-run 7th caps No. 7 Kaiser's rally against Roosevelt, 8-4

Kaiser's Kai Hasegawa connects with a pitch against Roosevelt. Steve Erler | Special to SL

Kaiser rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat host Roosevelt, 8-4, Thursday in Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division softball.

The No. 7 Cougars (9-0) are a win away from clinching the East top seed for the 12-team OIA Division I tournament. They have already beat the only teams - Kailua (6-2) and Roosevelt (5-3) - that have a possible chance to tie at the end of the regular season.

Kaiser trailed 3-0 in the first inning, but chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings and took the lead with a two-run fifth on Rainelle Matsuoka's RBI double and Kai Hasegawa's run-scoring single.

The Rough Riders tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Tyra Wallberstein's double that scored McKenna Nishimoto.

But the Cougars blew the game open with a four-run seventh ignited by Tiana Ching-Lake's two-run triple that was followed by back-to-back RBI triples from Kayla Russell and Chelsea Soong.

Kaiser's Seli Aholelei picked up the win with five innings pitched, allowing four runs, one earned, and striking out four. Crystal Ching Lake followed with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing a hit and two walks.