Kamehameha squeezes past Roosevelt, 2-1

Kamehameha's Alana Cobb-Adams gets on with a bunt single and later comes around to score to give the Warriors the lead. Greg Yamamoto | SL

MANOA — Hampered by a shoulder injury all season, Kamehameha pitcher Rayla Jacobs-Kea is now dealing with a back issue.

But she put the pain aside and pitched out of a seventh-inning jam, stranding the potential tying run at third base to help the No. 5 Warriors squeeze by No. 6 Roosevelt, 2-1, in the opening round of the DataHouse Division I state softball tournament Wednesday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Kamehameha (11-3-1) will take on fourth-seeded Waiakea — also nicknamed Warriors — in the 2:15 p.m. quarterfinal Thursday at RWSS. For the second week in a row it will be Warriors vs. Warriors. The same thing happened in last week's baseball semifinals, won by Waiakea.

The Warriors had just insured their 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Shaylee Alani, who was 3 for 3.

But the Rough Riders refused to go quietly in the top of the seventh.

Jaeda Cabunoc reached on a single to shortstop and took third on Mari Foster's double to center. With the infield drawn in, Hailey Uetake hit a grounder to second baseman Dee Castillo-Hopu, whose throw home was late, allowing Cabunoc to score, as Foster took third. After Uetake stole second, Megan Taguchi hit a comebacker to Jacobs-Kea for the first out, as the runners held. Hoku Ching then hit a liner to Castillo-Hopu, who fired to shortstop Alani to double off the runner at second for a game-ending double play.

"I was a little nervous, but I didn't lose faith in my defense and my team," Jacobs-Kea said. "I knew that we could pull it out."

Jacobs-Kea was charged with a run and six hits with no walks and two strikeouts in the complete-game win. Before the seventh, she allowed only four base runners and only one reached third.

"She's been injured all season, ever since the second week," Kamehameha coach James Millwood said. "She's still not a hundred percent. She's just been gritting it out and she's been trying to step up to the plate and getting it done. It's her lower back. At first it was her shoulder."

It was pitchers' duel between Jacobs-Kea and Roosevelt sophomore Cabunoc, a transfer from Mid-Pacific, where she pitched last season. Cabunoc was 5-1 with a 3.87 ERA, while Foster entered the game 4-3 with an ERA 2.55. Asked if he went with Foster because Kamehameha might have been familiar with Cabunoc, Roosevelt coach Clay Okamura said, "That was our rotation."

Kamehameha broke the scoreless deadlock in the third inning. Alana Cobb-Adams reached on a bunt single to third, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch before Dallas Millwood walked. With runners at the corners Kyler Stephens struck out, but Castillo-Hopu reached on a fielder's choice bunt in front of the plate to score Cobb-Adams. But Foster retired the next two batters to minimize the damage.

In the sixth, the Warriors scored a crucial insurance run. Laakea Bertulfo singled to short and took second when Maiah Motta walked. The left-handed Alani grounded a single up the middle to score pinch runner Kaile Yasui to make it 2-0.

"Teams have been pitching her certain way and Jessica Iwata and Isaac Castillo have been working with her to go oppo (opposite field) and she went oppo today and did really well." (She had singled to short and doubled to left in her previous at-bats).

After pinch hitter Keelie Pak fouled out to left, Foster hit Tausane Tauvale to load the bases. Cobb-Adams reached on a fielder's choice that forced Motta out at home before Millwood grounded to second for a force to end the inning.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].