ILH Softball
Nakamoto powers Punahou past Sacred Hearts, 14-4


   



Mon, Apr 14, 2014 @ [ 4:00 pm ]


F/6TH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Sacred Hearts 2 00020X444
Punahou 2 2 0334X14163

W: Nicole Nishizawa    L: Kaua Huihui-Awa

PUN: Elyse Nakamoto 5-5 3 runs 6 rbi 4 dbl trp; Nicole Nishizawa 6.0 IP 0 ER 3 K
SHA: Alexia Nono 1-3 2 runs


MAKIKI As the leadoff batter, Elyse Nakamoto's job isn't typically to drive in runs. The sophomore centerfielder went above and beyond her duties Monday afternoon with six runs batted in and five extra base hits to lead Punahou to a 14-4 win over Sacred Hearts.

The Buffanblu (7-5) rapped out 16 hits and scored in all but one inning against the visiting Lancers (4-8) in a Division I Interscholastic League of Honolulu game at Punahou's middle field.

Nakamoto terrorized Sacred Hearts' pitcher Kaua Huihui-Awa to the tune of five etra base hits, 11 total bases and three runs scored. She sandwiched a pair of doubles around a two-run triple in the bottom of the fourth inning for a day at the plate that left her coach in awe.

"That was unreal," Punahou coach Bob Makahilahila said. "I never saw a softball player do what she did today — four doubles, a triple, six RBIs — and the funny thing is, Saturday she was hitting, she was bombing balls and we were looking at her going, 'how about saving some of that for the game on Monday?' and there she goes. She did it."

It was Nakamoto's second double — when she lined a 1-2 pitch to left center — that scored Katelyn Chagami to break a 2-2 tie and give the Buffanblu the lead for good.

"We knew we had to come back and get it back and get more runs to get ahead so we could get (starting pitcher) Nicole (Nishizawa) to relax more," Nakamoto said.

Nishizawa's day got off to a shaky start when she allowed the first four batters to get on base, but the junior right-hander settled down to retire the next nine batters she faced. She allowed two hits in the top of the fourth, but got a pivotal force out at third and struck out Julia Pfeiffer for the third out.

Pitching coach Courtney Baughman called the game for Nishizawa via catcher Sara Jinee Buck.

"We wanted to try and take the pressure off the catcher and pitcher," Makahilahila said. "Last year we had (former starting catcher Kylie Popovich) and she knew how to really call a game, but this is only (Buck's) second year, so part of it was to help them by having their coach call the game."

Nishizawa allowed a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, when she walked the first two batters she faced, but stranded two more Lancers to end the top of the sixth. Sacred Hearts left seven runners on base for the game.

"I think her maturity is starting to come through again," Makahilahila said of Nishizawa. "We've been trying to work with her on not being just a thrower, but a being a pitcher."

For the game, Nishizawa surrendered four hits, struck out three and walked three. The four runs whe allowed were unearned.

Nakamoto's fourth-inning triple to left broke the game open. Zoe Hernandez and Alyssa Rasmussen scored on the gapper by Nakamoto, who crossed the plate on a two-out single to left by Pua Fujinaga. Punahou led by a 6-2 margin after four innings, but Sacred Hearts got two runs back in the top of the fifth. Macy Koko and Alexia Nono drew back-to-back walks before Nichelle Chang singled to center on a hard ground ball. Koko scored and Nono advanced to third on a fielding error by Nakamoto and Makea Kaluau hit a ground-ball out that allowed Nono to score to cut the Buffanblu lead to 6-4.

However, Punahou answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Pinch-hitter Jolie Fujita and Hernandez each singled to center to start things up. Fujita scored on a Sacred Hearts' error and Nakamoto hit a first-pitch, one-out double to right field that brought Hernandez home. One batter later, Buck doubled the second pitch she saw from Huihui-Awa to deep left that plated Nakamoto. That quickly, Punahou stretched its lead back to 10-4.

The Buffanblu added a run in the bottom of the sixth when Krystin Wong doubled to lead off the inning and scored after a single to right by Fujita. Jessica Shimoda then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 12-4 before Nakamoto crushed a 2-1 pitch to right field that brought home Fujita and Hernandez and ended the game due to the mercy rule.

"I just went up there and tried to make contact. I wasn't really going for anything big," said Nakamoto, who noted a change in mentality amongst her teammates after what has been a tumultuous follow-up season to winning the first state title in school history last year.

"We're taking more of a different approach and just have fun and relax more and not stress out so much at the plate and in the field," Nakamoto said.

"I think we've been struggling a little bit with it, but this past week the girls made up their mind that they're going to work harder," Makahilahila said. "Right now our season is three games — today, Wednesday and next Tuesday then we have playoffs — so we told them, 'Let's just forget everything that we did before and let's just focus on the next three and try to build momentum,' so it was really good in terms of the overall play of the team."

The Buffanblu have now won two of their last three games and swept the season series with the Lancers two games to none. Punahou won the first meeting back on March 12 by a score of 7-3.

Both teams return to the field Wednesday in the penultimate game of the 14-game regular season. Punahou hosts No. 10 Iolani at 4 p.m., while Sacred Hearts takes on top-ranked Mid-Pacific 6:30 p.m. at Crane Park.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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