ILH Softball
Mid-Pacific rallies past Punahou, 5-4, wins ILH title


Wes Nakama
April 27, 2011, 9:26pm

  

Wed, Apr 27, 2011 @ [ 4:00 pm ]

Mid-Pacific

5

Punahou

4

F/ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mid-Pacific 3 00XXXX582
Punahou 1 0 03XXX485

W: Keiki Carlos    L: Tai Manu-Olevao

PUN: Reina Furuya 3-4 run rbi HR; Jaci Young 4.0 IP 2 ER 2 K
MPI: Keiki Carlos 2-3 2 runs 2 rbi trp / 7.0 IP 3 ER 7 K




Mid-Pacific scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and then held off Punahou in the bottom half yesterday to win, 5-4, and repeat as Interscholastic League of Honolulu softball champion.

A crowd of about 350 at Punahou watched the Owls finish ILH play at 14-4 and earn the league's seeded berth and first-round bye in next week's DataHouse State Championships at Rainbow Wahine Stadium. The Buffanblu (15-3) clinched the league's second and final state tournament berth earlier and will begin play in Tuesday's first round.

"We worked so hard, we really wanted to be here," said MPI junior Keiki Carlos, who pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts and batted 2 for 3 with a two-run triple. "We wanted to win for the seniors, because they're always pushing the underclassmen to reach their potential."

The Owls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, after Carlos brought in two runs with her triple to left-center field and scored on an error.�

Punahou answered with Reina Furuya's leadoff homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the first, then took a 4-3 lead with three runs in the fourth after Arianna Hashimoto's RBI bunt single, an infield error and a bases-loaded walk to Kayla Shimoda.�

After putting its leadoff runner on in innings 3 through 6 but leaving eight on base during that span, Mid-Pacific finally capitalized in the seventh.

Carlos led off and reached on an infield error, and Jordan Joy got aboard next after bunting and avoiding the tag while running down the line. Carlos, who reached third on the play, then scored on Kacy Aoki's squeeze bunt when the short toss from pitcher Tai-Manu-Olevao was dropped at home plate.

"I think I called more squeezes in the this game than in the past five years put together," Owls coach Willie Quinn said. "I give our girls credit for applying the pressure, because it comes down to percentages and eventually you're going to score. The main thing for us was to get that tying run."

After Gabi Hollinger walked to load the bases, Tori Hamura hit a sacrifice fly to center which scored Joy from third base to make it 5-4.

Jaci Young singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, then reached third after sacrifice bunts by Alexis deFries and Kaylin Okuma, who dived into first base and was called out on a close play. Vanessa Va'a then hit a line drive back to Carlos, who snagged it with a snow cone catch.

"It's never easy, but you gotta expect that," Quinn said. "We were just fortunate to come out on top."

Tasi Docktor went 2 for 2 and Kaydi Kochi finished 2 for 3 for MPI. Furuya went 3 for 4.



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