Kamehameha pitcher Rayla Jacobs-Kea throws a pitch to plate against Iolani in an ILH Division I contest Wednesday afternoon. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

Rayla Jacobs-Kea could not have returned soon enough for No. 3. Kamehameha.

The right-handed senior ace pitched in a different role with six stellar innings of relief to help Kamehameha down No. 6 Iolani, 10-1, Wednesday to gain sole possession of first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I standings.

The league's leading contenders entered the game tied at 5-1-1. The tie was in their last meeting, 4-4. Jacob-Kea's absence from a shoulder injury she sustained March 8 in a 12-1 win against Punahou was felt in the tie with Iolani and in the 14-4 loss to Maryknoll.

Jacobs-Kea started the game in right field, but when starting pitcher Reese Mokuau walked three of the first five batters she faced in one-plus inning of work, Kamehameha coach James Millwood was quick to turn to Jacobs-Kea.

"We weren't going to fall behind," Millwood said. "The last time, we fell behind and we already (allowed) three walks in not even two innings. The last time we played (Iolani) we allowed 11 walks. I had to bring her in. Gutty performance. She just got cleared yesterday. She came in and did the job."

Indeed.

Jacobs-Kea allowed a run, three hits and a walk in six innings. She hit the first batter she faced before retiring the next seven in a row. Except for the two singles, a walk and a batter reaching on a fielder's choice, all but one of the outs she recorded were on grounders. The only non-ground out was when Macy Uyehara flied to right to end the game.

"I just tried to hit the corners, keep the other team off-balanced," Jacobs-Kea said.

She had been out three weeks after straining her right shoulder in the Punahou game.

"I had to adjust a little bit," Jacobs-Kea said. "Just getting back into my rhythm and stuff."

Meanwhile, it did not matter to the Warriors which Raiders' pitcher was in the circle. All three got tagged for runs. Iolani coach Dean Yonamine started Aleia Agbayani, who pitched the first 2 2/3 innings before bringing in Marcee Nakamura from first base to get the final out in the third. Agbayani returned for the fourth and allowed a run after allowing five in her first stint. Nakamura returned in the fifth and gave up a run. Starting left fielder Marley Dyer pitched the final two innings, allowing three runs.

"We were just trying to get people out, throw strikes, basically," Yonamine explained about the pitching changes.

The Warriors erupted for 13 hits, including four doubles and a home run. Dallas Millwood had a double and a booming three-run home run. Maiah Motta drove in three runs with a double, sacrifice fly and fielder's choice grounder. Lead-off hitter Tausani Tuvale batted 3 for 3 with three runs scored. Kyler Stephens, Alyssa Mahoe and Jacob-Kea had two hits each.

"That's why they're the defending ILH champs," Yonamine said. "They're always tough. We can't make any mistakes. We have to make good pitches; everyone counts. You see Dallas' home run. You make a mistake, it's going to cost us."

Kamehameha staked Mokuau to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With runners at the corners and two out, Motta hit a grounder to second, but second baseman Leila Anoina missed tagging the runner going to second allowing the run the score.

The Raiders looked like they were going get the run back quickly in the bottom of the first. Anoina led off with a walked, but was doubled off first on Uyehara lined out to first baseman Millwood, who turned the unassisted double play. Agbayani walked, but was erased when Kai Barrett grounded to short for a force at second.

The Warriors added three in the second on back-to-back doubles by Mahoe and Jacobs-Kea and on RBI singles from Tuvale and Stephens. They got another in the third when Alana Cobb-Adams walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-0.

In the fourth, Stephens led off with a double and courtesy runner Keelie Pak took third on a wild pitch and scored on Motta's sacrifice fly to left.

The Raiders got their only run in the fourth. Kennedi Lopes broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single and took second on error in right field. Ashlyn Okamoto's single moved Lopes to third and Nakamura reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Dyer grounded to short to score Iolani's sole run before flex player Hailee Ueyama grounded out to Jacobs-Kea to end the inning.

Kamehameha got another run in the sixth when Millwood doubled and an out later, scored on Motta's double.

The Warriors added icing with Millwood's three-run homer to right in the top of the seventh.