Mua Williams launched two home runs while freshman Peahi Grilho-Armitage and senior Kiani Soller hurled No. 2 Kamehameha over No. 3 Maryknoll 9-4 for the ILH regular-season title on Thursday at Sand Island Recreation Area.
The powerhouse programs closed the regular season tied in first place at 9-3, necessitating the tiebreaker game with an automatic state-tournament berth at stake.
“It feels good that we’re going back (to the state tournament). I feel relieved. I feel like we’re ready. We’ve been waiting for it the whole season,” Soller said.
Maryknoll had beaten Kamehameha twice in three games, but ace pitcher Molly Davi could not fend off the big bats. In addition to Williams’ swats, Kezia Lucas and Bobbi Cambra homered for Kamehameha (10-3).
“The girls worked hard. They worked hard in the cages. They worked hard to make adjustments. It’s a testament to all their hard work,” Warriors coach Mark Lyman said.
Exactly what adjustments they made against Davi and her unique delivery is, well, not for public knowledge.
“It’s a secret,” Williams said. “Shhh.”
Center fielder Mariah Antoque led off and hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. She also made a sensational, airborne diving catch on a deep ball in the right-center alley.
Grilho-Armitage had some early struggles but grew stronger with each inning. She scattered five hits, allowing four runs with five strikeouts, three walks and one hit batter. Soller, who recovered from a late-season shoulder injury, pitched two scoreless innings, permitting two hits with one strikeout and one walk.
“The whole team made (hitting) adjustments and our energy was here today,” Lucas said.
Grilho-Armitage had a bumpy second inning, but she had her team’s support.
“Peahi and Keani did really good. I told Peahi to calm down and have confidence, just to do her and pitch the ball the way she can.”
Grilho-Armitage relied on her off-speed pitches.
“My screw was working very well, and my changeup. My curve, I was struggling a little bit, but after practicing between innings, I was able to fix it,” she said.
Soller started the game as a designated player.
“I know we have a good defense and Peahi did good, so I just had to finish it off,” Soller said.
Maryknoll’s Kasi Cruz went 3-for-3 with a double, but was stranded on base each time. Shortstop Bri Sorae went 3-for-4 and scored once.
“Kamehameha came to play. We thought we prepared efficiently, but our players were star-struck,” Maryknoll coach John Uekawa said of his young team. “Kamehameha came out swinging. They hit the ball hard. We take our bumps and bruises and see if we can recover.”
The Warriors unleashed their power early and often against Davi. In the top of the first inning, Antoque led off with a bad-hop single — her ground ball caromed high off the lip of a circular groove on the infield dirt — and Williams socked a two-run home run over the center field fence.
Lucas followed with a solo shot to give Kamehameha a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Nikki Chong led off with a double. Davi retired the next two batters, but after she intentionally walked Williams, Lucas singled to center, scoring Chong from second base.
Cambra followed with a towering shot to center for a three-run homer. That opened Kamehameha’s lead to 7-0.
The home team awakened in the bottom of the second frame with four runs off Kamehameha freshman Grilho-Armitage. Dylan Neves and Sarae reached base with singles and Marley Spencer loaded the bases with a walk.
Ciana Kamisato’s sacrifice fly to right scored Neves. Reyni Hiraoka followed with a single to left, plating Sarae and Spencer.
Jenna Sniffen was intentionally walked and Cruz singled to load the bases, setting up Pale Silva’s sacrifice fly to right center. Kamehameha’s Marley Espiau made a spectacular diving catch, but Hiraoka scored on the play to bring the Spartans within 7-4.
Maryknoll’s right fielder, Cruz, took over on the mound and retired the first 10 Warriors she faced. The Spartans got on base, but couldn’t capitalize against Grilho-Armitage, stranding seven runners in the first four innings. Maryknoll finished the game with 10 runners left on base.
The Spartans had runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Grilho-Armitage got Silva on a line out to third, then froze Shey Iokia with a called third strike.
With two outs in the fifth, Spencer grounded to third. Alexis Ahlo-Garcia fielded the ball cleanly, but slipped in the dirt before she could throw. Spencer advanced to second base on a wild pitch, but Grilho-Armitage struck out Kamisato to end the inning.
Cruz’s streak of batters retired ended with one out in the top of the sixth inning when Kamisato dropped Ahlo-Garcia’s shallow fly ball to center. Ahlo-Garcia stole second base and continued on to third when the throw from Silva sailed into center field. Antoque followed with an opposite-field single to right, scoring Ahlo-Garcia for an 8-4 Warriors lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Maryknoll had runners at the corners with one out when Kamehameha came through with an unusual double play. Silva grounded to third, where Ahlo-Garcia fielded and threw to second to force out the baserunner, Cruz. Antoque, the second baseman, then rifled a perfect throw home to Lucas, who tagged out Sniffen coming home from third.
Kamehameha added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on Williams’ one-out solo home run to left, her second of the game. It was the only earned run off Cruz in five innings of quality work. The junior allowed just two hits, struck out three and walked none.
In their previous league matchups, Kamehameha won the first meeting 10-7 (March 6) and Maryknoll won the next two, 7-3 (March 23) and 9-4 (April 2).
The ILH’s double-elimination tournament to determine the second state-tournament entry will begin Saturday.
At Sand Island
Kamehameha 340 001 1 — 9 10 1
Maryknoll 040 000 0 — 4 9 1
Peahi Grilho-Armitage, Kiani Soller (6) and Kezia Lucas.
Molly Davi, Kasi Cruz (3) and Pale Silva.
W—Grilho-Armitage. L—Davi. Sv—Soller.
Leading hitters—KS: Mariah Antoque 2-4, RBI, run; Mua Williams 2-3, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, walk; Lucas 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Bobbi Camara 1-4, HR, 3 RBIs, run. MS: Cruz 3-3, double; Bri Sarae 3-4, run.
