Trojans capitalize on defensive miscues by Falcons

Greg Yamamoto | SL

The ninth-ranked Kalani softball team did not have its best day defensively Thursday and visiting Mililani cashed in on the miscues.

The Trojans rapped out 11 hits and capitalized on a half dozen errors by the Falcons to come away with an 8-4 win in a quarterfinal game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I tournament at Kilauea District Park.

Mililani, the third seed out of the Western Division, rallied from an early two-run deficit to turn back Kalani, the No. 2 seed out of the East.

Taryn Hirano's two-out single plated a pair of runs for the Trojans in the top of the fourth inning to tie the score at 3. They took the lead for good an inning later. After Kaui Garcia and Makayla Pagampao got aboard via back-to-back Kalani errors, Amber Aniya drove in a run with a bunt single. Sunni Kahanu followed with another run-scoring single to make it a 5-3 lead after four.

Kalani got a run back in the bottom of the fifth with Naomi Stremick's RBI-single, but Garcia padded her team's lead with her single to center in the top of the sixth that brought home two more runs. Another run came home two batters later on one of two errors by the Falcons in the frame.

Garcia batted 2 for 4 with three runs scored, while Aniya and Kahanu were both 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Hirano went 2 for 5 and scored a run.

Pagampao went the distance in the circle for the Trojans (7-5). She allowed five hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Three of the four runs she surrendered were unearned.

Mililani committed three errors of its own.

Naomi Stremick took the loss for the Falcons (10-3). She gave up eight runs (three earned) on 11 hits with two walks.

Ki-ani Hashiba went 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored to lead Kalani offensively.

Hashiba's second-inning double put her team ahead, 2-1, after Garcia scored the game's first run in the top half of the frame on a single back up the middle by Ciana Cubi.

Kalani, which had a bye in Wednesday's opening round of the tournament, will West fifth-seeded Kapolei in a fifth-place semifinal Friday with a spot in the state tournament at stake; the loser's season will be over.

Mililani walloped East No. 6 seed Kailua, 22-0, Wednesday. It punched its ticket to the Division I state tournament with its win Thursday and will meet West top seed Campbell, which defeated Kapolei in its quarterfinal, 4-0, in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal at McKinley's Tiger Softball Stadium Friday.

The early semifinal will feature West No. 2 seed Waianae, a 17-0 winner over Pearl City Thursday, and East top seed Kaiser, which held off West fourth seed Leilehua by a score of 9-8.

The semifinal winners will advance to Saturday's OIA championship game at 6:30 p.m. at McKinley.