No. 6 ‘Iolani rallied with a five-run fifth inning for a 6-4 win over No. 2 Maryknoll on Tuesday afternoon at Ala Wai Park.
Freshman Ailana Agbayani smacked a go-ahead two-run single and freshman Allie Capello belted a three-run homer moments later for a 5-1 lead.
The win was crucial for ‘Iolani, which caught Maryknoll atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu softball standings. Both are 5-2.
Aleia Agbayani was the winning pitcher, allowing four unearned runs on three hits. She struck out three and walked five.
“It’s going to build the momentum back up. This is a big win for us. We will keep everything the same, keep fighting,” the senior southpaw said.
‘Iolani’s rally spoiled what had been a stellar effort by Maryknoll ace Aloha Akaka, who had thrown four scoreless innings. A diving catch in center field by her sister, Mahalo, was a gem in a solid defensive effort by the Lady Spartans.
“It’s so fun just coaching and seeing these girls develop,” ‘Iolani coach Benny Agbayani said. “I credit Aloha. She held us down and our girls needed to make the adjustment.”
Maryknoll had opportunities, leaving seven runners on base, and coach John Uekawa cited two baserunning glitches that hurt the cause.
“We’re extremely young, and we can learn from this,” he said.
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the third. Carys Murakami singled to center with one out, stole second base and advanced to third on an overthrow by Raiders catcher Kai Barrett. After Liliana Thomas walked, Murakami scored on a groundout by Aloha Akaka, but on the same play, courtesy runner Chloe Chun was thrown out at third for the final out.
In the fifth, Kylie Wada led off with a double to left and Kapili Lopes followed with a hard grounder to the mound. Akaka wheeled and threw to second, where Wada had already made it back to the bag. With two runners on base, Lexie Tilton’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over before Ailana Agbayani singled to right, scoring Wada and Lopes for a 2-1 ‘Iolani lead.
Aleia Agbayani singled to center before Capello roped a line drive to the left-center gap. Ailana Agbayani, Aleia Agbayani and Capello scored on the home run, and it was a 5-1 lead going into the sixth inning. Uekawa said the ball hit an ice chest and should’ve been ruled dead for a ground-rule double. The chief umpire disagreed.
Maryknoll took advantage of an ‘Iolani error in the sixth and scored on a groundout by Allyze Pagada and a single by Lexi Carlos, cutting the lead to 5-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, Tilton’s two-out double scored Taylor Kai, who had walked and advanced on a sac bunt and groundout.
The Spartans threatened again in the top of the seventh. Breli-Rylin Agbayani-Shibao, a cousin of ‘Iolani’s Agbayani sisters, walked and later scored on a wild pitch. On the same play, Thomas, who reached base on a fielder’s choice, got caught in a pickle between second and third bases. The Raiders nabbed her on a 2-1-5-6 rundown for the second out. Agbayani then froze Aloha Akaka with a 1-2 fastball on the inside corner to end the battle.
