Leilehua lets loose in title game

The mighty Mules of Leilehua have their first state softball championship, and they won it in grand style.

Gianna Araki and Kaena Nistal each blasted a grand slam as unseeded Leilehua overpowered Punahou 14-4 on Friday night in the final of the DataHouse/HHSAA Division I Softball State Championships at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Nistal’s versatility and experience were big factors. The senior came through with a win in relief for the second time in the tourney.

Leilehua (15-4), which lost in the OIA semifinals, did it with classic championship form. Great defense. Consistent pitch-to-contact pitching. Unlike most champions of recent years, the Mules suited up multiple deep-ball sluggers. It was a remarkable ride for a lineup that opposing fans called a “Murderers’ Row” during the regular season.

For first-year head coach Wendell Au, it was largely about staying disciplined at the plate and unified as a team. In what turned out to be the year of the slugger, the Mules scored 12 runs against Baldwin, 10 against Maryknoll and 13 against Mililani before facing the ILH runners-up — and their crafty ace, Kennedy Ishii. The junior had won all three tourney games as the Buffanblu ascended to the title game.

“We were poised as a community and a team to be successful,” Au said. “It was just a matter of timing it right and the balance of everything. Punahou is a great team, but I have a lot of faith in our team and our pitchers.”

Punahou finished 12-6 under first-year softball coach Boy Eldredge.

The Mules could have crumbled early when starting pitcher Kamryn Kamakaiwi suffered an ankle injury during a rundown to end of the first inning. Instead, Au turned to Nistal, who switched from designated player to pitcher, similar to what she did in the quarterfinal round, replacing Kamakaiwi early.

After scoring 10 runs on Kapolei, 10 on Lahainaluna and 11 on Campbell, Punahou’s blue bombers never got square on Nistal’s array of pitches.

Punahou struck first on a single by Bailey Akimseu, with Ishii (single) scoring. The Buffanblu had runners at third and second, but Leilehua turned a 6-3 putout and then tagged out D’Asha Saiki in a rundown between third and home. In the process, Kamakaiwi injured an ankle and had to be carried off the diamond.

It was a huge turn of events, even though the Mules have quality depth at pitcher. Kamakaiwi homered earlier in the tourney, one of the few left-handed bats in Leilehua’s “Murderers’ Row” lineup.

The Mules put two runners on base against Ishii in the bottom of the first, but Punahou turned a 4-3 double play to end the threat.

Punahou missed a golden opportunity in the second frame, loading the bases against Nistal. The right-hander struck out her counterpart, Ishii, to end the threat.

Then came a six-run second inning by the Mules. It could’ve been far less damage, but the ball bounced Leilehua’s way. They tied the game at 1 on a bases-loaded single by Mikayla Pinera, Then Brandi Leong smashed a liner back to Ishii, who nearly gloved it. The ball squirted free, and Jacelyn Kepa‘a scored from third to give the Mules a 2-1 lead. If Ishii had somehow been able to hold that line drive, it would’ve led to an easy, inning-ending double play.

Two batters later, Araki launched her grand slam to right-center, and Leilehua opened a 6-1 lead.

The Buffanblu plated a run in the top of the third. Saiki led off with a double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a groundnut by Janell Sato. Nistal struck out Mielke and got Bri Alejo to pop out, evading further damage.

Leilehua added a run in the third. Three-time state bowling champion Gwen Maeha, filling in at DP after Nistal took the mound, led off with a single, moved to second on an Alyssa Asuncion sac bunt, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Kepa‘a’s sac fly.

Then came the fourth, when the dam burst. Leong and Kayla Hale singled, Araki walked, and Nistal blasted a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall for Leilehua’s second grand slam of the game. They led 11-2.