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Call them the escape artists.
All season, opponents have loaded up the bases on the Maryknoll Spartans. Experience dealing with those sticky situations helped the Spartans in the clutch Friday, as they held off Kamehameha in the bottom of the seventh for a 12-10 victory and the school’s first ILH softball championship.
Maryknoll (11-5) gets the ILH’s seeded berth heading into next week’s state tournament, while Kamehameha must play an extra round to make a run at the title. Both teams had already locked up state berths.
In a slugfest of a final playoff, Kamehameha trailed by five runs entering the seventh but repeatedly worked the count on Maryknoll starter Kahilu McNicoll. The Warriors (10-3-1) scored three times, including a bases-loaded walk, to get within two.
“Last inning, I was pretty nervous and everything,” McNicoll said. “But I would say that even though I was nervous I knew my team had my back at the same time. I knew that even if I struggled and the ball was still put into play, they would have my back, field the ball and get the out for me no matter what.”
On the final play, the Warriors still had the bases loaded — the tying run was on second base — when Kamehameha’s Tausani Tavale hit a chopper fielded cleanly by shortstop Kanoe Tanigawa. She stepped on second, touching off a celebration on the Warriors’ field.
“Amazing. It’s amazing,” said Tanigawa, who hit two homers and drove in four runs. “I had to keep my nerves inside. I couldn’t show it on the field because we knew we had awesome pitching, awesome defense.”
Maryknoll coach John Uekawa said he knew he’d ride out McNicoll. His team had faced its share of jams and to him this was no different, despite the stakes. Maryknoll had often finished second in the ILH, lacking the breakthrough.
“It was like nothing to us. Like nobody on base,” Uekawa said. “I was more calm than nervous. I just felt that sooner or later, they’re going to come to grips that it’s just a game and it’s just about outs.”
Maryknoll smacked seven home runs.
Warriors coach James Millwood elected to rest ailing ace Rayla Jacobs-Kea and start Alyssa Mahoe. She was lifted in the first after Maryknoll launched three bombs for a 5-0 lead; Reese Mokuau went the rest of the way.
“It was a great game,” Millwood said. “I just told the girls, this is the loosest I’ve seen them play all year, which is a good thing for us. They competed, they played hard. And that’s all we can ask of them. We knew going into it we wanted to get ready for states, so we did rest some of our players, just to make sure when we get to states. Because that’s the big picture.”
Alana Cobb-Adams had a homer, three runs and three RBIs for the Warriors, while Kyler Stephens went 4-for-4 and Laa Bertulfo homered and drove in four.
After some initial confusion about the game’s site, it was played at Kamehameha by virtue of the Warriors winning the ILH regular season. All three of the Warriors’ losses this season came to Maryknoll.
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At Kamehameha
>> Maryknoll (11-5) 510 300 3 —12 12 1
>> KSK (10-3-1) 203 020 3 —10 13 0
Kahilu McNicoll and Baylie Kahele. Alyssa Mahoe, Reese Mokuau (1) and Kyler Stephens, Monique Hasegawa-Ilae (4). W—McNicoll. L—Mahoe.
Leading hitters—Mryk: Kanoe Tanigawa 2-5, 2 HR, 2 runs, 4 RBIs; Kamalei Labasan 2-3, HR; McNicoll HR, 2 RBIs; Kaylah Santos HR, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Kiana Arcayena 3-4, HR, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Sydney Kamakaiwi 3-4, HR, 2 runs. KSK: Tausani Tavale 2-6; Alana Cobb-Adams 2-3, HR, 2b, 3 runs, 3 RBIs; Stephens 4-4, 2b; Laakea Bertulfo 2-4, HR, 2b, 4 RBIs; Maiah Motta HR, 2 RBIs.
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