Kaiser downs Moanalua to avenge early season loss

Greg Yamamoto | SL

On prom night, the Cougars' seniors made the diamond their dance floor.

Buoyed by Tanabe's first inning grand slam and yet another strong outing by freshman pitcher Makenzie Yokoyama, Kaiser rocketed past Moanalua, 10-4, to take sole posession of first place in the OIA Division I East standings.

Tanabe and fellow senior Elyse Yoshioka, who opted to play under the lights at Tiger Softball Stadium rather than attend prom, helped get the party started early for Kaiser.

Yoshioka led the game off with a walk and came in to score on a Lia Hamamura single to open up the scoring for the Cougars. Six batters latter, Tanabe came up to the plate and stroked a shot to right center that cleared the bases, capping off a six run opening frame for the designated visiting team.

Moanalua chipped away at the margin, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning and another in the third on a Payton Woodall double to halve the Kaiser lead, but the Cougars struck for three more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth, as Tanabe finished off her big evening with a RBI single.

Yokoyama went the distance for the third time this year, allowing four runs on eight hits to earn the victory. She walked five and struck out seven.

Moanalua's Kaylah Sato was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored and also pitched three solid innings in relief, allowing just one run on two hits.