Maryknoll Athletics

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Maryknoll Athletics

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They say anything can happen in the playoffs, and this is why.

In two quick flurries, Maryknoll tore apart a top-tier pitching duel, taking the ILH Division I championship over Punahou, 8-2.

"It feels good because I think we really earned it…I have seen a lot of growth from these players, a lot of them stepped up," Spartans pitcher Kasi Cruz said. 

For the first five innings of this marquee ILH matchup, both teams' aces shined under the rainbow filled Manoa sky, as Punahou's Paige Brunn and the Spartans' Kasi Cruz traded scoreless innings, the only blemish a solo shot from Lexi Hinahara in the bottom of the third.

The resulting 1-0 Buffanblu lead would remain in place until the top of the fifth, when a ground ball found its way under the glove of freshman infielder Paisley Aoki, allowing leadoff batter Reyni Hiraoka to reach safely. After 2-and-3-hole hitters Kyla Abad and Sheyzhelle Iokia singled and walked respectively, the Spartans found themselves primed to do damage with the bases loaded, no outs, and their cleanup hitter at the plate.

Then, catcher Palehua Silva showed why she was leading the team in RBIs, knocking in two runners with a timely double. The rally wouldn't stop there, as freshman outfielder Karley Sapolu followed Silva up with a RBI single, before Cruz showed her two-way prowess with another run-scoring base-hit. Brunn forced a lineout, groundout, and strikeout in the next three at-bats, but nevertheless, Buff ‘n Blue fans were jolted from their comfortable slumber by a rather uncomfortable score: 4-1 in favor of the Spartans.

"I think it is the fire that we have underneath us, having the motivation to win, and just stringing everything together, getting our timing down and getting our groove," Cruz said when asked about her teams timely hitting.

It is important to note that this loss capped off an rather disappointing ILH postseason for a once-dominant Punahou team, who finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record while averaging over nine runs a game.

The Buffanblu went 0-3 in the league postseason, losing to two teams they had previously mercy-ruled in the regular season, while scoring a total of just two runs across all three contests.

This ILH championship served as a true microcosm of their playoff run, as after the bats went cold once again in the bottom of the 6th, another error from Aoki, miscommunications in the outfield, and a pair of base hits from Cruz and Sapolulu put the game out of reach, extending the Spartans' lead to 8-1 ahead of the final half inning.

Punahou got one run back in the seventh, but that would be as close as the home team would get.

"I think we played great. I can always trust my defense because they always have my back, and we worked so hard to come where we are right now," Cruz added 

Both teams will represent the ILH in the upcoming Division I state championships, set for May 6-9.