Midway through the fourth inning, Waipahu trailed by eight runs, rain had already caused a small delay, and senior pitcher Taylor Fukunaga had given up double the number of runs she had allowed in any start this season.
That’d be enough for a lot of teams to roll over, but after the COVID-19 pandemic caused this senior class to miss two years of league and state tournaments, Fukunaga and the rest of the Marauders would not be deterred.
The right-hander somehow found the strength to put up three consecutive scoreless innings after the initial onslaught and the offense took over, with Kendalyn Cordeiro-Felise putting the Marauders ahead for good with a three-run blast in a 21-14 victory over Nanakuli to win the OIA Division II championship on Saturday night at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The highest-scoring OIA Division II final ever lasted 3 hours, 45 minutes with two short rain delays and 29 combined hits. Somehow, when it was over, it was Fukunaga standing on the mound after a called third strike, ending her evening after throwing more than 140 pitches.
“Closure can sometimes be bad, but this was a good kind of closure,” Fukunaga said. “This is where I wanted my high school season to end. Of course there is states, but in terms of the (OIA) tournament, this was the closure me and my teammates wanted to have.”
Fukunaga fought back tears answering questions after Waipahu won its first league softball title since 2005.
The emotion of the evening, the season, the past two years all seemed to want to come out.
“As a pitcher, whenever your team starts hitting for you, you get that confidence,” Fukunaga said. “My team plays for each other, and that’s what I love about them. They support me offensively and defensively.”
Co-head coach Devin Fukunaga said he told Taylor before the game Nanakuli was too good of a hitting team to shut down, but he was hoping for a mountain a little less steep to climb than a 14-6 deficit.
“I didn’t know it was going to be 14 runs, but I’m glad we scored 21,” Devin Fukunaga said. “This hitting barrage was all Derek Yamamoto. He’s our hitting coach and he works so hard with the girls and they showed it.”
Ryanne Yoshimura had four hits and scored four runs, but it was Cordeiro-Felise out of the cleanup spot who did the most damage.
Her three-run homer in the fifth inning gave Waipahu the lead after Nanakuli had gone up by eight runs.
She then cleared the bases with a double in the fifth inning to finish with eight RBIs.
“I don’t know how to describe this feeling,” Cordeiro-Felise said. “I’m really happy and I’m really proud of myself to be able to help this team out in a win.”
Lexus Kotrys homered and drove in three runs and Hailey Flint added two homers and three RBIs for Nanakuli (13-2), which split its two regular-season meetings against Waipahu (14-1).
After the end of a seven-minute rain delay in the top of the fourth — the first of two in the game — Flint set the first pitch flying over the wall in left field for the eight-run lead.
Nanakuli didn’t score again as Taylor Fukunaga retired nine of the final 12 batters without givng up a hit.
Fukunaga’s last pitch came on a delayed called third strike by the umpire — her fifth of the game — sending the Marauders out of the dugout on the field to mob Fukunaga near the pitching mound.
“It kind of felt like the world just stopped,” she said. “You know those scenes in movies where everything just turns into slow motion, that’s what it felt like.”
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OIA DIVISION II
Championship game
Waipahu 21, Nanakuli 14
W—Taylor Fukunaga. L—Tiare Miura.
Leading hitters—Waip: Syan Yamamoto 2-4, 2b, 3 runs, 2 RBIs; Kristy Kitabayashi 3 runs; Ryanne Yoshimura 4-5, 4 runs, RBI; Kendalyn Cordeiro-Felise 4-5, 2 2b’s, HR, 3 runs, 8 RBIs; Fukunaga 1-2, 2 runs, RBI; Logan Chun 1-2, 3 runs, RBI; Kendrea Cordeiro-Felise 2-3, 2 RBIs; Shazarei Hinds 2 runs, RBI; Avhenlee Contado 2-5, run, 2 RBIs. Nan: Lexus Kotrys 3-3, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Daniella Samson-Wright 1-5, run, 2 RBIs; Hailey Flint 3-3, 2b, 2 HR’s, 3 runs, 3 RBIs; Jhanz Kaawa-Kawai 2-4, run; Jenna Ku 1-5, 2 runs; Till Keohuhu 1-2, 2 runs, 2 RBIs.
Third place game
Waialua 11, Aiea 6
W—Anela Hernandez. L—Chrijon Peneueta.
Leading hitters—Wail: Laci Sabanal 2 runs; Aliyah Crowley 3-5, 4 runs, 3 RBI, HR, 2b; Kaia Trask 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2b. Aiea: Trinity Caporus-Santos 2 RBI.
OIA DIVISION I
Third place game
Campbell 13, Leilehua 1, 5 inn.
W—Kaiana Kong. L—Breann Leong.
Leading hitters—Camp: Cairah Curran 2-4; Lorraine Alo 2-3, 3 runs; Leia Duropan HR, 3 RBIs; Teiah Keliiholokai 2-2, GS, 2 runs, 6 RBIs; Kaylisa Nakoa 2-3, run; Jaeda Abcede HR; Tehani Kauanoe-Sagapolutele HR, 3 RBIs; Aleiah Kupihea 2 runs.
Fifth place game
Kaiser 3, Kalani 1
W—Keira Uegawachi. L—Christen Horita.
Leading hitters—Kais: Rylan Nakamura 2-2, 2b.
