Maryknoll softball coach John Uekawa decided to go with a different pregame routine at this year’s state tournament and it appears to be having a positive effect on his team.
Jenna Sniffen pitched a three-hitter and Carys Murakami and Nellian McEnroe-Marinas each drove in three runs as Maryknoll beat No. 2 seed Kapolei 9-2 in the semifinals of the Datahouse/HHSAA Softball State Championships on Wednesday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Maryknoll will face ‘Iolani for the title at 7 tonight at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The Spartans’ previous best finish in the state tournament was fourth place in 2015.
“It’s very surreal because we haven’t really been here before,” said Murakami, a senior who batted 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs scored. “I’m so proud of this team because we’ve been working hard these past few weeks.”
As far as the Spartans’ pregame preparation it now starts four hours before game time with batting practice at either HNL Ballpark or HAWAIIANHARDBALL batting cages, eating together and catching the bus to the stadium.
“The strategy was to keep them together and keep them focused ahead of the game,” Uekawa said.
Previously, he said the team would hang out in a confined area and the players would “lay down, watch TV and get lazy” prior to its often late-starting state tournament games.
Maryknoll, ranked No. 2 in the state, came out hot against Kapolei, scoring in each of the first five innings.
Sniffen, who has started all three of the Spartans’ tournament games, was in control on the mound until tiring in the final inning. The sophomore walked five and struck out five.
“She has so much guts. She’s thrown over 300 pitches already,” Uekawa said. “I was planning to only pitch her two or three innings, but it’s kind of hard to (take her out).”
Sniffen allowed only one runner to reach second base over the first six innings. She effectively changed speeds to keep the Kapolei hitters off-balance.
“The change-up is a really big part of my pitch sequence and I was able to get ground balls to my defense so they could help me out,” Sniffen said.
Eight of the nine hitters in Maryknoll’s lineup had at least one hit. McEnroe-Marinas went 2-for-4 with a home run.
“We all have one strategy, one philosophy, one style, so if there is any difference we can adjust,” said Uekawa of the team’s hitting approach.
Maryknoll (11-5) scored in the first on Breli Agbayani-Shibao’s RBI single off Jerzie Liana, which scored Murakami.
The Spartans made it 3-0 in the second on Murakami’s single to right, which scored Chloe Chun from third. Kayla Whaley scored from second after the ball was mishandled by the right fielder.
Maryknoll tacked on a run in the third on a lead-off homer by McEnroe-Marinas, which reached the tennis courts beyond the wall.
The Spartans took a 7-0 lead in the fourth on two hits and three errors. McEnroe-Marinas’ ground ball with the bases-loaded got past the second baseman, which allowed Haylee Cathcart and Murakami to score. McEnroe-Marinas was credited with an RBI on the play. She came around to score on a single by Sniffen.
Murakami’s homer to right-center in the fifth and McEnroe-Marinas’ RBI single in the seventh made it 9-0.
Kapolei (12-3) scored two in the seventh on RBI doubles by Alewa Ewa and Liana.
“We showed heart and we showed grit,” said Kapolei interim coach Enson Queypo. “You can’t take away the fact we were OIA champions. They battled all the way to the end. I’m proud of them.”
The Hurricanes, ranked No. 4, committed five errors and three of the runs they allowed were unearned.
“All season long we played stellar defense and tonight it just wasn’t there for our pitcher,” Queypo said. “It was the wrong time to have a bad game.”
