Top Performers
Atkins, Doi off to hot starts on the diamond




Male Athlete of the Week: Tai Atkins, Kamehameha-Hawaii baseball
On opening day of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation baseball season, Tai Atkins was in midseason form.

Atkins, a senior for the Kamehameha-Hawaii baseball team, turned in a quality start — to say the least — to lead his team to a 7-0 road win at Hawaii Prep last Tuesday. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound pitcher threw six scoreless frames of two-hit ball with 16 strikeouts and no walks. Atkins needed just 80 pitches to get through the outing, before reliever Zakaia Michaels logged a scoreless seventh inning to close it out.

"He was pretty efficient," Warriors coach Andy Correa said. "HPA was kind of raw. They didn't have two of their best players, but regardless, any time you strike out 16 that's pretty good."

Correa said most of the strikeouts came off of Atkins' fastball.

"Just locating his fastball, in and out," Correa said. "He's able to keep the ball down and has a lot of movement on his fastball."

The double-digit strikeout performance by Atkins, a four-year starting pitcher for the Warriors, shouldn't come as a surprise. As a freshman on the state-championship winning 2016 team, he struck out 13 batters and was the winning pitcher in a 9-1 win over Saint Francis in the state semifinals.

"He's had that kind of stuff from his freshman year, so I think his biggest growth has been mound maturity and learning to pitch a little bit more. In his four years he's gotten better at something every year, so either a secondary pitch or holding runners, he's really good about putting in time and effort into his craft," Correa said.

Correa said that arm issues that hindered Atkins in his sophomore and junior seasons are not bothering him so far this year.

"Those were at the start of the season the last two years, so he's starting a little faster this year and he's in a little bit better shape to start the season," Correa said.

A big part of the reason for Atkins' success on the mound can be traced to the consistency of his mechanics.

"He's able to repeat his motion real consistently and it's difficult for hitters to pick up because of his arm slot, and he has some velocity and movement, but he works hard on his delivery and trying to maintain that," Correa said.

Correa said that when Atkins, who has signed to play for the University of Hawaii next season, is not pitching, he will patrol centerfield.

"He can really run. He's outstanding athletically. He's got great range in the outfield," Correa said. "This is the first year he's really playing a position for us since we kind of had to monitor his workload throwing for the last two years, but he's been hitting the ball well out of the leadoff spot and he's always a threat to run."

Atkins batted 0 for 4 against HPA last Tuesday and did not play in Saturday's 12-1 win at Honokaa. However, he returned to the lineup Monday in a win over Kohala and batted 3 for 4 with two stolen bases, an RBI and three runs scored.

Despite the limiting opportunities at the plate in his first three seasons, the improved health of Atkins this season — along with his athletic ability — gave Correa enough confidence that his ace could overcome the increased workload.

"This is something that I thought he would be able to do, but he's maturing into an all-around good baseball player," Correa said. "He's a product of a lot of hard work. He's a really, really good attitude, he has a good outlook on the game, he has fun, he smiles a lot and he enjoys himself all the time. He's the first one at practice, the first one to help with anything, he's just a real good kid to have around the baseball program and very, very positive with all of his teammates."

This spring, like he has the last three years, Atkins is having to juggle his duties to both the baseball and track and field teams. He finished sixth in the triple jump at last May's state championships. Correa said Atkins has already notched a state-qualifying mark in the event this season.

"He works out in the morning with track and then he goes to whatever meets he needs to go to when we have off Saturdays to qualify, so it's worked out every year," Correa said.

Correa said sweeping the back-to-back road games against HPA and Honokaa last week made for a solid start to the season for his team, which is seeking an eighth consecutive BIIF Division II title this year.

"Going on the road on our island means you gotta travel really far and you go to some real different places to play so the conditions are real different. HPA is real windy and their infield is real different, so it was good to get those wins away because in any league it's important to get off to a quick start because we don't play that many games," Correa said.

Atkins and the Warriors (3-0) will host Kau Wednesday then visit Konawaena Saturday.

Female Athlete of the Week: Riley Doi, Roosevelt softball
After one week of the regular season, the Roosevelt softball team and Riley Doi are putting up some rather gaudy numbers.

The Rough Riders (2-0) have a run differential of plus-44 through just two games and Doi, a sophomore infielder, is batting a blistering hot .833 at the plate in her first season as a starter.

Doi, the sixth batter in the lineup, drove in six runs and scored three times in last Tuesday's 34-2 four-inning win over Kaimuki. Three of her four base hits went for extra bases — two doubles and a home run — she also drew a walk and stole a base against the Bulldogs.

In Saturday's 13-1 five-inning win over Kalani, the 5-foot-2 Doi drove in five runs and scored twice. Her lone hit of the day was a second-inning grand slam that gave Roosevelt a 9-0 lead.

"Kalani put a fence up so off the bat, as soon as she made contact, I knew that was gone," Rough Riders coach Kristin Fujii said. "It was to dead center field. I don't know if she knew it was gone, but the coaches, we knew it was gone and I think even her teammates knew it was gone too, because they all kind of jumped up and cheered."

Doi's grand slam was part of a hot start for Roosevelt. It posted four runs in the first inning and tacked on five more in the second.

"That home run, when she hit that, in my opinion, that kind of sealed the game for us because after that Kalani had changed their pitcher to a different pitcher," Fujii said.

The lofty statistics, however, don't tell the full story of Doi's work behind the scenes.

"There were a few at-bats that she fell behind. In fact, she either fell behind or she may have grounded out or flied out, but what's good is that in every at-bat she had it got better and better, so that's how we knew that she was able to make those adjustments," Fujii said of Doi, who bats left and throws right.

Fujii also made note of Doi's discipline at the plate.

"She has a pretty good eye. A lot of times when she does take pitches, it does end up as being balls. If anything, her first at-bat she'll take a strike, but at least that second time around she'll have an idea of what she wants, so if she sees something good, she'll swing," Fujii said.

Doi's early production with the bat isn't a surprise to Fujii, as she did much the same in two seasons at the JV level.

"For a girl her size she's got pretty good power, so we knew she could always hit and this year we're fortunate where we've got other girls that are older that can hit too, so I think for Riley it kind of takes the pressure off of her, so she can just play and be herself out there where the team is not relying on her to be the person to hit, so she's really loose in the box, she's comfortable and when you're loose and comfortable, you can see the ball better and there's no pressure," Fujii said.

Fujii explained that Doi is naturally more of a middle infielder, but the Rough Riders have the veteran duo of seniors Kylie Kawamura and Maya Nakamura at second base and shortstop, respectively. Nakamura, a four-year starter, is signed to play for the University of Hawaii next year.

"I think for Riley, because we have Maya at short, it really does help her because she's got somebody behind her that she looks up to and Maya just always does the right thing, she's nursing of the young ones so for Riley, it's really beneficial because to have someone like Maya next to her it really helps with her confidence and if not Maya, then (four-year starter) Jaeda (Cabunoc) on the mound to the left of her, so she's surrounded with a lot of support," Fujii said.

Doi suffered an injury to the pinky finger on her right (throwing) hand in the preseason, which limited her opportunities at the plate.

"She's slowly getting back to herself and she's been getting comfortable at third base. I think that was a shell shock for her because the balls are a lot quicker, but she's getting comfortable defensively. Every day at practice we kind of try to keep the reps quick to force her to work quicker and every day she's getting better and better," Fujii said. "Overall she's just a hard worker and she maybe at times second-guesses herself, but it's just because of the lack of reps, so we're trying to give her more reps so that when it comes to games she's more confident with the defensive side, so every game it's gotten better and I'm sure it'll continue to get better with more reps."

Roosevelt, which debuted at No. 4 in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, reached the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I title game and won the consolation championship at the state tournament. While the expectations remain high, the players are keeping it light.

"They all kind of have a team goal this year. They definitely wanna do better than last year, so they're a little more focused, but what's good about Riley and her teammates is that they're not putting additional pressure on themselves," Fujii said. "They're just having fun, which is what we tell them. You gotta have fun. If you have fun, you'll play good."

Doi and the Rough Riders next play at Castle Friday.

BASEBALL
Bula Ahuna, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI in a win over Honokaa

Kainalu Alvarez, Kealakehe — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Keaau

Drew Basque, Konawaena — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI in a win over Kealakehe

Braeden Coloma, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 4 with two doubles and three runs scored in a win over Hawaii Prep and batted 2 for 3 with two RBI and a stolen base in a win over Honokaa

Tayson Hirayama, Hawaii Prep — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored in a win over Kau

Ridge Ishii, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored and struck out five batters in two innings of relief in a win over Honokaa

James Kapela, Konawaena — Allowed no runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game win over Kealakehe

Zakaia Michaels, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 3 with two RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Howard Roberts, Kealakehe — Scored 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Keaau


GIRLS WATER POLO
Koko Butcher, Moanalua — Scored three goals in a win over Pearl City

Kealoha Charles, Kailua — Scored nine goals in a win over Castle

Siitia Cravens, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a win over Mililani

Taylor Dinsmore-Nassar, Leilehua — Scored four goals in a win over Pearl City and scored five goals in a win over Waialua

Annika Edwards, Kapolei — Scored four goals in a win over Mililani

Nohea Espejo, Kalaheo — Scored five goals in a win over Castle

Leila Anne Figueroa-Kapahu, Castle — Scored three goals in a loss to Kailua

Elle Foehr, Kalaheo — Scored five goals in a win over Castle

Malia Fujita, Pearl City — Scored four goals in a win over Waipahu

May Kamaka, Iolani — Scored three goals in a loss to Mid-Pacific

Madison Komatsu, Moanalua — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua

Sarah Lorenzo, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Kalani

Alexis Marrero, Campbell — Scored four goals in a win over Castle

Reese McMurray, Kailua — Scored four goals in a win over Castle

Samantha Nakagawa, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Iolani

Lakota Nguyen, Roosevelt — Scored four goals in a win over Waipahu

Ava Padaca, Kahuku — Scored six goals in a win over Kailua

Megan Shanley, Kahuku — Scored four goals in a win over Kailua and scored three goals in a win over Mililani

Kaya Takashige, Leilehua — Scored five goals in a win over Pearl City and scored five goals in a win over Waialua

Tatiana Troupe, Campbell — Scored four goals in a win over Castle

Skyler Webb, Le Jardin — Scored three goals in a win over Kamehameha II


SOFTBALL
Ailana Agbayani, Iolani — Batted 3 for 5 with three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored and allowed two unearned runs on three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks in a five-inning win over Sacred Hearts

Aleia Agbayani, Iolani — Batted 2 for 3 with two home runs and five RBI in a win over Damien and batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double and three RBI in a win over Sacred Hearts

Sierra Aguon, Farrington — Batted 4 for 5 with three doubles and five RBI in a win over Kalaheo

Primrose Aholelei, Kaiser — Batted 3 for 4 with a double and three RBI and allowed four runs, three earned, on two hits with three strikeouts and three walks in a complete-game win over Kailua

Nohea Akana, Radford — Batted 4 for 6 with a home run, double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Nanakuli

Magedlynn Anuntak, Konawaena — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, three RBI and four runs scored in a win over Pahoa

Taylor Au, Pearl City — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Mililani

Hilari Ballenti, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kaiser

Kai Barrett, Iolani — Batted 5 for 6 with three home runs, nine RBI and six runs scored in a win over Damien

Jade Behic, Kapolei — Allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and no walks in seven innings pitched in a loss to Campbell

Kobe Brown, Mililani — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, walk, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Pearl City

Allie Capello, Iolani — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, three walks, six RBI and four runs scored and struck out nine batters in a five-inning perfect game against Damien

Destynee Carvalho, Honokaa — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, a walk, four rBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Kau

Lyndsey-Mae Carvalho, Waiakea — Battled 3 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Hilo

Seraya Casco, Lahainaluna — Allowed one run on eight hits with one strikeout and no walks in 6 1/3 innings pitched in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Angel-Leigh Ching, Roosevelt — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kalani

Nadia Delzer, Campbell — Allowed two runs on two hits with six strikeouts and three walks in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a win over Aiea and allowed two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game shut out of Kapolei

Tierra Dumlao, Mililani — Hit a three-run home run and scored twice in a win over Leilehua

Alyssa Ferreira, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple and four RBI in a loss to Maui, homered, drew a walk, four RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Lahainaluna and batted 2 for 2 with an RBI, a walk, four stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Kekaulike

Palena Gomes, Roosevelt — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, double, seven RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Shaylann Grace, Saint Francis — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run and two runs scored and allowed one hit with four strikeouts and no walks in two scoreless innings pitched in a win over Damien

Jaymi Gurr, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, walk and three RBI in a win over Kailua

Lea Hanawahine, Mid-Pacific — Homered, drew a walk, drove in four runs and scored twice in a win over Punahou

Aliya Harmon, Baldwin — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, three RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored in a loss to Lahainaluna

Anela Hernandez, Waialua — Batted 2 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored in a win over Kahuku and batted 2 for 5 with a double, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Nanakuli

Jolene Hirata, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, walk, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Hilo

Nohili Hong, Lahainaluna — Batted 2 for 2 with two doubles, three walks, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Baldwin and batted 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Christen Horita, Kalani — Allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Moanalua

Mancy Huynh, McKinley — Batted 2 for 2 with three walks, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Radford

Kelsie Imai, Waiakea — Homered, walked twice, stole two bases, drove in three runs and scored three times in a win over Kealakehe and batted 3 for 4 with a triple, two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Hilo

Serenity Jackson, Mililani — Allowed three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Leilehua

Alana Jarra-Parker, Leilehua — Batted 4 for 4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kapolei

Honey Jose-Woods, Waialua — Batted 3 for 4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kahuku

Alize Kaapana, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Kealakehe, batted 3 for 4 with a triple, six RBI and three runs scored in a win over Hilo

Taylor Kai, Iolani — Batted 4 for 4 with a triple, seven RBI and three runs scored in a win over Sacred Hearts

Erin Kaimuola-Bates, Konawaena — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, double, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Pahoa

Dorine Karwon, McKinley — Batted 2 for 4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Radford

Kylie Kawamura, Roosevelt — Batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, walk, four RBI and four runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Saree-Ann Kekahuna, Baldwin — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, three RBI and a run scored in a loss to Lahainaluna

Mikayla Kekoa, Kohala — Batted 3 for 4 with a double and four RBI and allowed two runs on five hits with 15 strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game win over Waiakea

Kaena Keliinoi, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Damien

Briann Keohuloa, Lahainaluna — Doubled, drew a walk and drove in four runs in a win over King Kekaulike

Jacelyn Kepaa, Leilehua — Batted 2 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI in a loss to Mililani

Sinaia Kuka, McKinley — Batted 2 for 5 with a double, four RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Radford

Asia Lee, Punahou — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double, walk, three RBI, stolen base and three runs scored in a loss to Mid-Pacific

Jordyn Lono, Saint Francis — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Damien

Kalena Markham, Iolani — Batted 3 for 3 with two RBI in a win over Sacred Hearts

Colby McClinton, Kamehameha — Batted 4 for 5 with three doubles and three RBI in a win over Sacred Hearts

Jayla Medeiros, Konawaena — Batted 2 for 3 with two home runs, a walk, three RBI and four runs scored in a win over Pahoa

Aulii Meyer, Honokaa — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Kau

Carys Murakami, Maryknoll — Batted 4 for 4 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Saint Francis

Maya Nakamura, Roosevelt — Batted 6 for 6 with two home runs, five RBI, a stolen base and five runs scored in a win over Kaimuki

Alohilani Napalapalai, Waianae — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, triple and four RBI and allowed one hit over four scoreless innings pitched with eight strikeouts and no walks in a win over Aiea

Rylee Nishimoto, Mililani — Homered and drove in four runs in a win over Pearl City and batted 2 for 3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Leilehua

Allyze Pagaoa, Maryknoll — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Saint Francis

Malia Payet, Maui — Batted 2 for 4 with two runs and four RBI in a win over Baldwin

Mahea Perkins, Mid-Pacific — Batted 3 for 5 with a home run, double, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Punahou

Krislon Philpot-Rosa, Farrington — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and three RBI and allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in a five-inning win over Kalaheo

Erin Prieto, Maui — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Baldwin

Alesia Ranches, Campbell — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, double, five RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Aiea

D'Asha Saiki, Punahou — Batted 2 for 2 with a home run, four walks and three RBI in a loss to Maryknoll, batted 3 for 4 with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Mid-Pacific and batted 2 for 3 with a triple, walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Damien

Kaylah Santos, Maryknoll — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Saint Francis

Honor Siu-Auelua, Radford — Batted 3 for 4 with a home run, double, five RBI and two runs scored in a win over Nanakuli and batted 2 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in a loss to McKinley

Halee Sweat, Waiakea — Allowed three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings pitched in a win over Kealakehe

Keao Takemura, Mid-Pacific — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Punahou

Telsea Taketa, Kealakehe — Allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk in a five-inning win over Konawaena

Liliana Thomas, Maryknoll — Batted 2 for 5 with a home run, double, two RBI and a walk in a win over Punahou

Mele Turner, Castle — Pitched a five-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and four walks in a shut out of Kaimuki

Gabrielle Tyrell, Kamehameha — Batted 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI in a win over Sacred Hearts

Andi Uemura, Konawaena — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Pahoa and allowed two hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in a five-inning shut out of Pahoa

Paiaala Wilcox-Molina, Waianae — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run, double, three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Aiea

Jada Young, Moanalua — Allowed three hits with one strikeout and a walk in a complete-game shut out of Kaiser

Shayla Young, Castle — Doubled, drove in three runs, stole four bases and scored three times in a win over Kaimuki



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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