Mid-Pacific's Nicole Lopez heads for home after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Kamehamameha. Brien Ing | SL

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040914_bi_kskmpi040914_654.jpg - Brien Ing | SL

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MANOA - Mid-Pacific saved its best performance for end to stun visiting Kamehameha, 8-6, Wednesday at the Frear Softball Field.

In the battle of the top two teams in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings, Nicole Lopez's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning highlighted a five-run fifth that helped the No. 2 Owls (8-3) overcome a 6-3 deficit and pull into a first-place tie with the No. 1 Warriors (8-3) in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I race.

"We were behind, but I knew our team would fight back," Lopez said. "It was a good team win. Our pitcher threw super good game and we just fought to the very end."

"That's what I love about my team," winning pitcher Kaili Ann Akimseu said. "We always fight to the end."

Akimseu, rocked for six runs and 10 hits against the heavy-hitting Warriors in going the distance, pitched a perfect top of the seventh to seal the Owls' sixth consecutive win. The Warriors have dropped three of their last four games.

"Even the games we lost, we battled to the end," MPI coach Alan Inaba said. "Like Maryknoll, we had two runners on the last inning in the game we lost. They're learning that it's not over 'til it's over."

The Owls began the season 1-2 and have won seven of their last eight.

"After starting 1-2, it was a little bleak," Inaba said. "But with each game, we gained confidence. They're believing in each other."

The Warriors widened their 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth with pinch hitter Jordan Millwood's two-run single to give her pitcher Christine Hipa a 6-3 lead.

The Owls, however, batted around in the five-run bottom of the sixth to take their first lead since the first inning.

Pinch hitter Breeze-Lyn Morita, living up to her name, beat out a single to shortstop to start the inning. Hipa then walked Samantha Sakihara. Kumabe's line single to center scored Morita to pull MPI to 6-4, as Sakihara stopped at second. After Taylor Ann Oda popped out to third, Lopez drilled a 3-0 fastball over the left field fence (185 feet down the line) to give the Owls a 7-6 lead.

"I had the green light 3-0," Lopez said. "i didn't want to fall behind in the count and I wanted to get a pitch to hit. I was thinking line drive, but it came off the bat good."

Lindsey Matoi followed with a sharp single to center, chasing Hipa out for designated player Kamalani Dung. The umpire called Matoi out for interference on a routine grounder to second hit by Sarah Onishi, who was safe on the fielder's choice. Onishi took second when Kiley Oeda reached on third baseman Kaleihoku Kaneshiro's fielding error. Lia Nakamoto's second double of the game scored Onishi to make it 8-6 before Morita, batting for the second time in the inning, grounded out to shortstop.

Akimseu seemed invigorated by her offense's explosion, as she set the Warriors down in order for the first time in the game in the top of the seventh to seal the victory.

"It was probably the most pressuring (inning)," Akimseu said, "because i was trying to keep the lead. But I knew our team was going to be there to back me up 100 percent."

It was a knock-down, drag-out affair.

The Warriors struck in the top of the first with an RBI single from Kaleihoku Kaneshiro, only to see the Owls lead off the bottom of the frame with a line drive home run to right-center by Jenna Kumabe and take the lead later on Onishi's run-scoring single.

Kamehameha tied the game in the top of the second on Ateisha Norton's lead-off towering home run to left. The Warriors took the lead in the fourth on Kiana Burnett's RBI single and made it 4-2 in the fifth when Hipa doubled to left and the runner on first scored on error when left fielder Nakamoto misplayed the ball.

The Owls cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth. Lopez was hit by a pitch with one out. Matoi flied out to right fielder Burnett, whose throw to first to double-off Lopez bounced away from first baseman Haley Kodama, allowing the runner to take second. Lopez went to third on Onishi's single to right and scored on a wild pitch on a 2-2 count to Oeda, who eventually walked before Nakamoto hit into a force play at third to end the inning.

The Owls collected 11 hits. Inaba wanted his hitters to be aggressive since preseason, so he allowed his hitters to swing on 3-0 counts.

"We want them to be aggressive," Inaba said. "By observing them in preseason, we determined who should continue to have the green light and who should take. Our top five, six hitters, they have the green light. They all have the ability to hit it out, so I don't want to take the bats out of their hands."