Wahine tinker, lose twice to Tokyo

The results won’t count in the official record, but there was still something to be gained for the University of Hawaii softball team Thursday night.

Several UH reserves saw significant playing time in an exhibition doubleheader with Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education, and freshman Loie Kesterson was solid for much of a complete-game performance in her bid to establish a place in the Rainbow Wahine pitching rotation.

But TWCPE’s clutch two-out hitting carried the visitors from Japan to a 5-4 win in the opening game of the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Kesterson, who was effective in a relief appearance last weekend, went the distance and gave up seven hits while striking out three and walking two.

UH head coach Bob Coolen filled the lineup card with reserves mixed in with a few regulars playing different spots in the field and used the entire roster in the game.

Leisha Li’ili’i, UH’s regular first baseman, entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning and gave UH a 4-3 lead with a pinch-hit grand slam.

TWCPE tied the game on Akane Aoki’s two-out double in the sixth, and a solo homer by Erina Yamamoto in the seventh proved to be the difference.

Kesterson allowed the leadoff batter to reach in each of the first four innings. She stranded those runners on three of those occasions, with the exception coming in the third when Misuzu Nakandakari drilled a two-out, three-run triple down the first-base line.

UH freshman Alyssa Villalpando, who entered the week hitting .075, went 3-for-3 and led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double into the left-center gap. Kelly Majam followed with a pinch-hit single and Dori Ann Sugai drew a walk to load the bases.

Li’ili’i — who’d changed her number from 27 to 10 prior to the game — then launched a towering opposite-field shot into the UH tennis courts to give the Wahine the lead.

TWCPE responded with Aoki’s game-tying RBI double in the top of the sixth. After UH left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Kesterson retired the first two batters in the seventh before Yamamoto homered to left field.

Sharla Kliebenstein walked with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but TWCPE’s Kasumi Hirahara got UH’s next two hitters to ground out and pop up to close out a complete-game victory. She finished with seven strikeouts and two walks and surrendered 10 hits.

The tournament continues today with three games at RWSS. No. 21/24 UH (13-5) faces Portand State at 8 p.m.

TWCPE 7, UH 2

UH freshman Keiki Carlos took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the second game before Akane Aoki and Erina Yamamoto struck again to give TWCPE the lead.

UH had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Kelly Majam’s pinch-hit RBI double. TWCPE’s Yuna Takahashi walked to lead off the sixth and moved to third on a sacrifice and a ground out. Aoki then broke up the no-hitter by chopping a single into left field to score Takahashi with the tying run. Yamamoto then homered to push the lead to 3-1.

Takahashi added a three-run homer in the seventh and TWCPE extended the lead to 7-1. Majam led off the bottom of the seventh with a homer to cap the scoring.