The Surfriders' sophomore third baseman and Na Alii senior pitcher helped their respective teams open up league play victoriously last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Jalen Ah Yat, Kailua baseball
Jalen Ah Yat played in his first couple of varsity baseball games last week. All the sophomore third baseman did was go 4 for 6 with three doubles and three RBI — just as Kailua coach Corey Ishigo expected of him.

Ah Yat, who bats fifth in the lineup, turned in a couple of 2-for-3 performances at the plate in wins over Kaiser and Roosevelt to help the Surfriders open the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I East season at 2-0.

Against the Cougars Wednesday, Ah Yat drilled an RBI double to left center field that was part of a two-run bottom of the first for Kailua. He later doubled to right center in the narrow 2-1 win.

"It's not shocking at all. He's pretty good with the bat in his hands," said Surfriders coach Corey Ishigo, who previously coached Jalen's older brother, Noah, when he played at Kailua. "He always could hit. He could hit when he was seven years old, so we knew he was going to be able to hit (at the varsity level)."

The 5-foot-10 Ah Yat had another solid effort Saturday in a sometimes-trepidatious 5-3 road win over Roosevelt.

Kailua opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the fourth, but saw the Rough Riders come back with one run in the bottom of the inning and two more in the fifth to tie it at 3.

"He was thrown out stealing and then he struck out and so he was down, but he picked up our team when my son, Dayne, made an error," Ishigo said. "He grabbed Dayne, took him in the dugout and talked to him and instead of worrying about his own feelings, he was worried about his teammates' feelings and he knew that he had to do something to help us get that lead back."

Ah Yat, who throws right but can switch hit, did just that with his two-run double to give the Surfriders the lead for good at 5-3.

"He's a pretty patient hitter," Ishigo said. "He swings at his pitches — he doesn't chase — and he has a good awareness of the strike zone and what he's trying to do at the plate."

Ishigo dabbled with the thought of pulling Ah Yat up to the varsity as a freshman last season, but ultimately opted to keep him down and allow him to play another full season of JV in the winter. Ah Yat's quick acclimation to the varsity game comes as no surprise to the longtime Kailua coach.

"He's showing his leadership skills that I always he had," said Ishigo, who saw 13 seniors graduate from last year's OIA championship-winning squad. "It's finally coming out. I mean, he's still a sophomore, but for me, I've seen this kid growing up and I knew that he was going to lead the team. Whether it's good or bad, he's going to lead us. People just follow him, they gravitate to him in life and whether he wants to lead or not, he's a leader and people look up to him."

Ah Yat's versatility is another big plus for Ishigo.

"We call him the joker because he can play anywhere," Ishigo said. "He's our catcher, but right now he's needed at third because our third baseman is hurt, but it's not his primary position. He's our shortstop when Dylan (Kurahashi-Choy Foo) pitches and he can pitch, too, but he can play anywhere on the field. For him, he doesn't care and he enjoys playing multiple positions. He's probably the smart players that we have, in terms of baseball IQ."

Although Ah Yat didn't see any action on the mound in either game last week, Ishigo said he expects him to get the ball in several critical spots this season.

"He's always in my mind when the game is on the line," said Ishigo, who added that Ah Yat brings a even-keel presence on the mound.

"He brings no fear, he will throw strikes and there's no situation that is too big for him," Ishigo said. "He'll overcome the pressure in the game, not with dominating stuff, but we're not going to lose because of his emotions, or being scared."

Ah Yat and the Surfriders will host Kalaheo (0-1) at 3 p.m. Wednesday and visit Castle (1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Female Athlete of the Week: Poamai Tuli, Aiea softball
There was no stumble out of the gates for Poamai Tuli Saturday.

The Aiea senior pitcher handled her business — both in the pitching circle and in the batter's box — to lead her team to a 10-0 win over McKinley in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II opener for both teams.

Tuli struck out 12 batters with three walks and allowed just one hit in four scoreless innings of work to pick up the win. At the plate she doubled, walked and scored twice in the game that was called after the top of the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.

"She did well. That's a pretty above-average job to strike out that many players," Na Alii coach Alan Higuchi said.

Tuli, a lefty, wasn't necessarily overpowering hitters, but did well to utilize her full repertoire of pitches.

"It's not like where she can mow everybody down, but she does have a variety of pitches and she does have a change-up, which is a critical pitch for her," said Higuchi, who credited pitching coach Megan Rigos for working with Tuli.

Tuli also has a rise ball, screw ball and curve ball in her arsenal, Higuchi said.

Tuli, who earned All-Hawaii honorable mention last season, used all of those pitches to set-up hitters Saturday.

"She got ahead of the hitters, she was pounding the strike zone and throwing a lot of strikes," Higuchi said. "A simple recipe for for getting strikeouts is throwing strikes."

Tuli walked in her first at-bat — and came around to score — before belting a double to left center field on a 1-0 pitch in the bottom of the third inning.

Higuchi said Tuli's bat — in the No. 3 hole — will be a critical piece for the Aiea offense this season.

"In the years past she would bat more in the bottom half of the lineup, but this year, being her senior year and being in the heart of the order, she might have more of an impact with how she does as a hitter," Higuchi said. "We're going to be relying on her bat a little more to drive in some runs for us."

When she's not pitching, Tuli will likely be playing first base, "but if she had to, she could play any of the infielder positions also," Higuchi said of the third-year varsity player.

Beyond her role as staff ace and third batter, Tuli's value to the team is immeasurable, Higuchi said.

"She's probably the heart and soul of our team. Her work ethic is excellent, she comes to the field every day with a lot of energy and she always keeps practices at a high intensity," Higuchi said. "She's a leader by example, not just verbal, and whatever we do, she's always taking the lead. We call her a coach's player because if any coach could have twelve of her there would be no problems."

On the diamond, it's not hard to see Tuli's superior abilities.

"She's a great athlete. She can run, she can throw — overhand or underhand — and she has great dedication and commitment to the team," Higuchi said. "She's also very personable and a very good teammate. There's so many great qualities that are instilled in her. I always say that a child is a reflection of their parents, so obviously her parents have always done a great job with her."

Higuchi said that after high school Tuli hopes to play at a junior college before making her way back to Hawaii.

"We had some mainland coaches come down and look at her two years ago," Higuchi said. "Her plan from the get-go was to hopefully get something from the JC, where she could move on to the university level after two years. She had an idea from back then that she wanted to use her talents to get her education and whatever opportunities provided for her to take that path."

Tuli and Na Alii (1-0) will play Waipahu twice this week. The teams play at the Marauders' field at 3 p.m. Wednesday and at Aiea at 10 a.m. Saturday.

BASEBALL
Bubba Akana, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Damien

Kilipaki Akau, Honokaa — Batted 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored in a loss to Keaau

Makoa Andres, Waiakea — Struck out six, walked two and allowed three hits in a complete-game shut out of Konawaena

Dustin Asuncion, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double, five RBI and four runs scored in a win over Honokaa

Gabe Ballesteros, Waipahu — Struck out four, walked two and allowed four hits in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Leilehua

Anthony Benevides, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 2 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Keaau

Jaisten Cabatbat, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Pahoa and batted 2 for 2 with a double, walk, four RBI and a run scored in a win over Hawaii Prep

Logan Cabbat, Kalani — Batted 3 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Castle

Keanu Camalliri, Kauai — Allowed one run on five hits in a complete-game win over Kapaa

Joey Cantillo, Kailua — Struck out seven, walked one, allowed two hits in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Kaiser

Levi Cummings, Kapaa — Allowed one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in a win over Kauai

Austin Dela Cruz, Mililani — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored in a loss to Aiea

Matthew Dunaway, Maryknoll — Struck out 11, walked none and allowed three hits on four runs in seven innings pitched in a loss to Iolani

Shawn Ellis, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Damien

Cobey Fujii, Kapolei — Doubled and drove in three runs in a win over Pearl City

Ikaika Ganancial, Campbell — Batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over Aiea

Blake Hadama, Castle — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, walk and an RBI in a win over Kalaheo

Nakea Hanohano, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run and a triple in a loss to Saint Louis

Jabe Kahawaii, Castle — Struck out 11, walked three and allowed one run on one hit in a complete-game win over Kalaheo

Kayson Kajiwara, Damien — Batted 2 for 2 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored in a win over Hanalani

Kobe Kato, Aiea — Batted 3 for 5 with the game-winning RBI and struck out six, walked one and allowed one run on three hits in four innings pitched in a win over Mililani

Shaydon Kubo, Iolani — Batted 2 for 5 with a double and two RBI in a win over Maryknoll

Bronson Matsumoto, Kalani — Doubled, drove in three runs and scored another in a win over Kaiser

Cole Mayeshiro, Mililani — Allowed one run on three hits in six innings pitched in a win over Kapolei

Chase Meilleur, Saint Louis — Struck out four, walked one and allowed one run on four hits in a complete-game win over Kamehameha

Antonio Molina, Honokaa — Doubled, drove in three runs and scored another in a loss to Keaau

Harrison Moy, Kalani — Struck out nine, walked none and allowed three hits in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Castle

David Nakamura, Waiakea — Struck out 10, walked three and allowed one run on one hit in five innings pitched in a win over Keaau

Sam Nakata, Kauai — Batted 2 for 4 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Kapaa

Edward Oguma, Keaau — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Honokaa

Noa Ohara, Aiea — Batted 2 for 3 with three runs scored in a win over Mililani

Carson Okada, Pearl City — Struck out six, walked three and allowed two runs on five hits in a complete-game win over Waipahu

Christian Onomura, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Waipahu

Cameron Oshiro, Roosevelt — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI in a loss to Moanalua

Ryne Oshiro, Moanalua — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, double, walk and three RBI in a win over Roosevelt

Christian Pacrem, Pearl City — Batted 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over Waipahu

Makana Poole, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, double, walk, RBI and three runs scored in a win over Damien

Markus Ramos, Campbell — Allowed one hit in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Aiea

Kobie Russell, Waipahu — Batted 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored in a win over Leilehua

Shane Shimizu, Campbell — Doubled, walked, drove in four runs and scored twice in a win over Aiea

Andrei Stoyanow, Kapolei — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Pearl City

Todd Takahama, Campbell — Batted 2 for 2 with a walk and three RBI in a win over Aiea

Jake Tsukada, Punahou — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Mid-Pacific

Joe Uesato, Kapolei — Batted 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI in a win over Pearl City

James Yamasaki, Saint Francis — Allowed one run on four hits in a complete-game win over PAC-5

Logan Yee, Iolani — Allowed two hits in four scoreless innings pitched in a win over Maryknoll

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Michael Johnson, Hawaii Baptist — Had 11 kills and five digs in a two-set win over Le Jardin

GIRLS WATER POLO
May Kamaka, Iolani II — Scored five goals in a win over Mid-Pacific II

Lexie Taylor, Punahou II — Scored three goals in a win over Le Jardin

SOFTBALL
Karley Eckert, Keaau — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a win over Honokaa

Karley Saragos, Keaau — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, walk, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Honokaa