Greg Yamamoto | SL

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_25042604_D1_MililaniMoanalua_2549.jpg - Greg Yamamoto | SL

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KAKAAKO - Candy crushed, as was the glass slipper.

There would be no fairy tale finish for unranked and unheralded Moanalua. Powerhouse and No. 5-ranked Mililani completed its demolition of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I softball tournament with yet another mercy-rule victory, this time against Na Menehune, 10-0 in six innings in the OIA title game Friday night at McKinley.

It was Mililani's second consecutive and 13th overall, just one behind all-time OIA leader, Kailua, which dominated the 1980s-1990s.The Trojans are the first repeat champions since Campbell won in 2018 and 2019. Seasons were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID.

Mililani plowed through the tournament with mercy-rule wins against Waianae (18-2 in 4 innings by 15-run differential) in the quarterfinals and against Kalani (15-2 in 5 innings) in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Na Menehune (9-4), greeted with Skittles when they reached base in previous tournament games, were hoping to pull an upset after eeking out stunning wins against perennial power Campbell (7-6 in the quarterfinals) and East champion Kaiser (12-10 in the semifinals). But midnight struck early on Moanalua, leaving it no glass-slipper ending.

Mililani starting pitcher Hinano Bautista, the reigning All-Hawaii Pitcher of the Year, appeared to be in post-season form after laboring with control issues during the regular season, when she walked 36 in 37 2/3 innings.

The sophomore southpaw scattered five hits and a walk with a season-high seven strikeouts in six innings to spoil Moanalua's hopes.

"I think it was her getting her confidence back," batterymate Kodie Ancheta explained. "And the team backing her up gave her a boost in energy."

Bautista credited her offense for giving her an early cushion.

"Just knowing that my team has my back and just trusting my mechanics and putting the ball in play," she explained about her improvement.

Her offense made sure to keep her comfortable. They gave her four runs in the first inning against Na Menehune starting pitcher Harper Fukuda, chasing her from the game after two-thirds of an inning. It wasn't as if the Trojans swung from the heels. Makanalei Watkins-Villegas had the only hit in the frame, an RBI double. Three batters were walked and two batters were hit by pitches. Two of those walks and one of the HBPs came with the bases loaded. Kara Miyoshi came in after Ancheta walked with the bases full. Miyoshi got the final batter out, but the Trojans' lineup is stacked from top down. No. 9 hitter Ancheta hit the only home run of the game in the third, a solo shot to right.

"It felt really good off the bat," Ancheta said of her fourth home run of the season. "It's just knowing what I can do to help my team score more runs or moving the runner."

The Trojans blew the game open in the fifth when Emma Parker and Lana Nakayama hit successive doubles for the first of four runs. A walk, wild pitch, stolen base, and error contributed to another run as did Kahiau Aina's RBI single.

With a 9-0 lead after five, the Trojans needed one run for a mercy-rule win. It came in the bottom of the sixth when Kamryn Aoki ripped a grounder down the third-base line to score Nakayama with the game-ending run. Under normal circumstances, it could have been a bases-clearing double, but in such situations, the game ends once the differential is met.

It was a rough night for Moanalua pitchers, who combined to allow eight walks and three hit batsmen, and a wild pitch.

"This team is very special," Bautista said. "This team can do a lot of things in many ways."

Next up is the Division I state tournament May 6-9 at UH Wahine Softball Stadium. With the OIA title, the Trojans get the league's seeded berth. As defending state champions and undisputed league champ, Mililani is favored to get the top seed.

In the third-place game at Kaiser, the Cougars beat Kalani, 4-2, and for the final berth, host Campbell ousted Kapolei, 14-2, in six innings for fifth place. Those three teams, along with Moanalua, will represent the OIA at the state tournament. This marks the first time the East will have more representatives (3) than the West (2). Since 2006, the West dominated representation with either four teams to two or five to one.