Shannon Pascua-Stanton picked the right time to visit Clutch City.
Fortunately, for the Mililani Trojans, she came through twice, socking a game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and a game-winning single in the 10th as No. 4 Mililani outlasted No. 6 Leilehua 8-7 in an OIA West thriller at the Trojans’ field.
The key win — which took 3 hours, 21 minutes and finished shortly before darkness fell — boosted Mililani to 8-2 in division play, keeping the Lady Trojans within a half-game of first-place Campbell.
“Now we need to get two wins in the next three games and maybe we’ll get the first-round bye,” longtime Mililani coach Rose Antonio said. “Shannon made her adjustments and saw the ball well.”
Leilehua dropped to 6-4 and suffered a tough blow to its hopes for a top-two finish and the first-round playoff bye that would come with it.
“I’m pretty proud of my team. We came back,” Mules coach Stacy Araki said. “This kind of game helps prepare you for later.”
The Trojans overcame a relentless Mules squad that rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the top of the seventh inning with a pinch-hit, three-run home run by Kawena Kahana-Travis — shades of a pinch-hit two-run shot by Gwen Maeha just five days earlier to beat Pearl City — and a three-run tater by Kamryn Kamakaiwi.
The Lady Mules celebrated with a 6-5 lead when a woman’s voice from the bleachers reminded them: The game ain’t over yet.
It certainly was not.
In the bottom of the seventh, Pascua-Stanton led off and went after the first pitch of the inning by Leilehua starting pitcher Kaena Nistal, blasting the ball well beyond the center-field fence 200 feet away. That tied the game at 6.
The Mules answered again with a run in the top of the eighth. Brandi Leong walked with one out, and with two outs, Ashley Salausa walked. After advancing to third base on a wild pitch, Leong came home when second baseman Maya Yoshiura misplayed a ground ball by Gianna Araki.
Leilehua’s 7-6 lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the eighth, Tarah Aniya worked the count full and walked, and after Yoshiura’s sacrifice bunt, came home with the tying run on Merilis “Mama” Rivera’s single to center.
The Trojans had their opportunity to end the game, but reliever Alyssa Abe got Pascua-Stanton to line into an 8-6 double play, ending the inning.
In the 10th, Yoshiura (4-for-5, home run) singled with one out. Rivera’s line drive to right center was speared inches above the ground by Kamakaiwi for the second out. After Markie Okamoto’s single moved Yoshiura to third base, Pascua-Stanton stepped in.
“When I first faced (Abe), she got two strikes on me. I didn’t want her to get confidence again,” Pascua-Stanton said.
She swung at the first pitch, lining it up the middle for a single, plating Yoshiura with the winning run.
Senior Misha Carreira gutted out her longest stint of the season, pitching all 10 innings. She gave up six earned runs on nine hits, struck out seven and walked five. Her counterpart, Nistal, went 71⁄3 innings, allowing six runs and 11 hits, striking out 10, walking three and hitting two batters.
The Trojans stranded 10 runners and the Mules left 11 on base, including three in the top of the second inning.
“Again, (the lack of) timely hits. We hit the ball hard, but it wasn’t falling through. Does the ball have eyes? We’re hitting at people,” coach Araki said.
Mililani broke a scoreless duel in the fourth inning when Pascua-Stanton fouled off seven pitches with two strikes in the count and walked. She came home when Jerae Keliikoa’s single to right was booted by Kamakaiwi.
In the fifth, Yoshiura, Rivera and Okamoto singled with one out. Tracie Okamura walked with the bases loaded, allowing Yoshiura to score for a 2-0 Mililani lead.
In the sixth, Keliikoa led off with a double to center and scored on a one-out single to left by Aniya. Yoshiura then followed with a two-run, opposite-field homer to right, and the Trojans seemed to be in control with a 5-0 lead.
OIA West Softball
No. 4 Mililani 8, No. 6 Leilehua 7, 10 inn.
At Mililani
Leilehua (6-4) 000 000 610 0 — 7 9 2
Mililani (8-2) 000 113 110 1 — 8 16 4
Two outs when winning run scored.
Kaena Nistal, Alyssa Abe (8) and Staisa Micky. Misha Carreira and Okamoto.
W—Carreira. L—Abe.
Leading hitters—Lei: Brandi Leong 3-5, 2 runs, sac; Kawena Kahana-Travis 1-1, HR, 3 RBIs, run; Gianna Araki 1-3, 2BB, run; Kamryn Kamakaiwi 1-4, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, run. Mil: Maya Yoshiura 4-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI, HR; Merilis Rivera 2-6; Okamoto 2-6; Shannon Pascua-Stanton 2-5, 2 RBI.
No. 1 Campbell 9, Waianae 0
At Campbell
Waianae (0-9) 000 000 0 — 0 0 5
Campbell (8-1) 610 101 x — 9 10 2
Hepua Tambaoan and Tyra Pai. Danielle Cervantes, Jade Behic (6) and Jocelyn Alo.
W—Cervantes. L—Tambaoan. S—Behic.
Leading hitters—Camp: Trinity Favela 2-4, 2 runs; Cieana Curran 3 runs; Chloe Domingo 2-4; Dyllan Sanay 2-2.
No. 3 Pearl City 6, Kapolei 1
At Pearl City
Kapolei (3-7) 100 000 0 — 1 4 4
Pearl City (7-2) 200 130 x — 6 8 0
Sadie Kapaku-You and Prestyne Kaimi-Montira. PB Kaaialii and Hailey Yamaguchi.
W—Kaaialii. L—Kapaku-You.
Leading hitters—Kapo: Ciena Kauhi 2-2; Kapaku-You 2-3. PC: Tita Saunders 2-3, 2 RBI; Yamaguchi 3-3.
OIA East Softball
Kailua 5, Moanalua 0
At Kailua
Moanalua (6-3-1) 000 000 0 — 0 3 1
Kailua (6-3) 102 002 x — 5 8 3
Shanelle Lum and Raven Rosa-Lasco. Dyani Cummings-Lani and Keani Yamamoto.
W—Cummings-Lani. L—Lum.
Leading hitters—Moan: Summer Kamioka 3-3. Kail: Harley Texeira 3-3, 3 RBI.
Kaiser 7, Kalaheo 4
At Kaiser
Kalaheo (2-7) 000 101 2 — 4 7 1
Kaiser (6-2-1) 302 002 x — 7 7 4
Michelle Sasaki and Shaly Salis. Prim Aholelei and Nala Dombrowski.
W—Aholelei. L—Sasaki.
Leading hitters—Kalh: Ruth Ilab 2-3; Sasaki 3-4; Alicia Nawatani-Dias 2-3. Kais: Aholelei 2 RBI; Tehani Aquino-Keola HR, 2 RBI.
OIA DIVISION II SOFTBALL
Kalani 12, Waialua 1, 5 inn.
At Kalani
Kalani (6-1) 301 35 — 12 11 1
Waialua (2-6) 000 10 — 1 5 7
Cherise Horita and Jazzy Furuya. Honey Jose-Woods and Nova Rivera.
W—Horita. L—Jose-Woods.
Leading hitters—Kaln: Kylie Pagud 2-4, 2b, HR, 2 runs, 4 RBIs; Horita 2-2, 3 runs, 3 RBIs; Furuya 2-4, 2b, 3 runs; Diamond DeMello 2-3. Wail: Jordyn Bjur 3b.
Aiea 15, Radford 5
At Aiea
Radford (5-3) 130 010 — 5 9 5
Aiea (8-0) 201 20(10) — 15 11 2
Abby Wilson, Baileigh Susak (6) and Mahea Hetrick, Alden Steyeart (5). Chantelle Shimabukuro and Mikelle Gonzales.
W—Shimabukuro. L—Wilson.
Leading hitters—Rad: Cici Farias 2-3, 2 RBI; Puni Seei 2-3. Aiea: Shimabukuro 4-5, 4 runs, 3 RBI; Poamai Tuli 3-4, 4 runs, 2 RBI; Gonzales 2-5.
