Saint Francis to defend crown Saturday night

Saint Francis' Sierrah Kupihea tossed 11 strikeouts in the Saints' Division II semifinal win over Kamehameha-Hawaii. Michael Lasquero | SL

No. 4 Saint Francis will defend its state title after beating No. 10 Kamehameha-Hawaii, 7-1, Friday night at Patsy T. Mink Field at Maui High in the semifinals of the DataHouse Division II Softball Championships.

Sierrah Kupihea tossed 11 strikeouts to help the Saints advance to Saturday's 6:00 p.m. final, where they will face unseeded Kohala.

The top of the Saint Francis order all had strong performances at the plate: leadoff Aulani Garcia went 3-for-2 with a triple, double, two runs scored, Kawena Kalani was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored and three-hole hitter Kaena Keliinoi drove in three runs with a two-run homer and a double.

The Warriors, the top-seeded team in the tournament were led by Kaula Martin's two hits, Leiloa Bustamante's double and Brooke Baptiste drove in Bustamante for the team's lone score.