HHSAA Softball
No. 4 Iolani rallies to trounce No. 9 Kaiser in opening round


  



Tue, May 2, 2023 @ [ 4:30 pm ]


F/5TH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Iolani 0 0239XX14101
Kaiser 3 0 000XX342

W: Kiara Baba    L: Kalie Otani

KAIS: Kylie Ifuku 2-2 run 2 rbi HR
IOL: Mia Carbonell 2-4 run 5 rbi dbl HR; Kiara Baba 4.0 IP 3 ER 5 K


MANOA — No. 4 Iolani found themselves down early but poured in nine runs in the fifth to gash No. 9 Kaiser, 14-3 in five innings in the DataHouse/HHSAA Division I Softball State Championships opening round at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Raiders (14-5 overall) advance to the quarterfinal round to face fourth seeded Waiakea at 2 p.m.

The Cougars (12-4 overall), the only OIA East team, drops to face Maui (10-4 overall) in the consolation round on Wednesday at 9:15 am.

Catcher and clean up hitter Mia Carbonell doubled and drove in five total runs and her three RBI home run in the fourth provided a spark to give Iolani the lead and never looked back.

Rylie Yamasaki's double and Kylie Ifuku's home run to left center gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead on the ILH runner ups.

After two scoreless frames, the Raiders chipped away in the third. Harley Acosta's two-out double to right got Iolani on the scoreboard. Kaiser made a pitching change from Yamasaki to Keira Uegawachi. Natalie Ching plated Acosta, who beat the tag at home to trail, 3-2.

"We pick ourselves up. We talk a lot within the team about picking each other up. I think we did very good today," Carbonell said.

Milla Fukuda and Kennadie Tsue each walked that led to the Cougars switching from Kalie Otani to Yamasaki. Fukuda and Tsue each moved a base on a wild pitch. Carbonell worked a full count before going yard to give Iolani the lead for good.

"I had to change my mindset and sit on the ball a lot longer. My second at bat wasn't very successful, I popped out. I made the adjustment and kept my hands up. It was right down the middle," Carbonell explained.

Iolani erupted for nine runs in the fifth to put away the Cougars. Kaiser got the first two outs, but the Raiders managed to score nine runs on seven hits and two Cougar errors. Fukuda brought in three runs on a double and bases-loaded walk and Carbonell doubled for two runs. Ching and Acoba each plated runs with base hits.

"We were kinda surprised when they went from one to another to another. We made adjustments," Carbonell said of the pitching changes. "We did what we had to do, put the ball in ground, hard ground balls, line drives. If she walks us, she walks us. Take the extra base."

Kiara Baba (7-3) picked up the win after pitching four innings with five strike outs and a walk.

Kaiser went through four pitchers and Otani was tagged with the loss.



Reach Brandon Ching at [email protected].




Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


IMAGE GALLERY



MORE STORIES

Kohala's Kauka repeats as All-Hawaii Division II POY

Sophomore Layden Kauka led the Cowboys to a second straight state title, averaging 15.7 ppg in league...

Sepulona tops All-Hawaii Division I picks for second straight season

Junior forward Pupu Sepulona lead the Crusaders to second straight state crown; Saint Louis coach Dan...

Hawaii Prep's Samura leads All-Hawaii Division II selections

Brooke Samura averaged 34.6 points per game in her seniorr campaign, including seven games scoring over...

Lahainaluna's Donez earns All-Hawaii Division I POY honors

Senior guard Lola Donez averaged 26.9 points per game in MIL play and led Lunas to semifinal finish at...

Hirayama delivered in much-needed win for Trojans; Ho powering Buffanblu with prolific junior season

The Mililani junior LHP struck out 10 batters in six innings against Aiea Saturday, while the Punahou...

No. 4 Moanalua sweeps Roosevelt to cap undefeated OIA East season

Na Menehune were too much for the Rough Riders on senior night to finish the OIA East season unbeaten...