Puakea Milbourne homered and Kayli Nakoa drove in two runs as Kapolei ousted Castle 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association softball playoffs.
Kapolei, the fourth-place team out of the West, advanced to the quarterfinal round and will visit unbeaten, defending league champion Campbell today. Castle, the East’s fifth-place team, closed the season 6-7.
The visiting Hurricanes smacked 11 base hits, but stranded 10 base runners against Castle’s sophomore pitcher Ashaiya Lopes. They provided just enough help for senior ace Jade Behic, who allowed just one earned run on six hits. Behic, who struck out three and walked two, had command of her fastball, change-up and screwball.
“This is our chance to prove people wrong,” Behic said of the matchup with Campbell.
Her father, Kapolei coach Keoke Behic, is hoping for a better performance.
“In order for us to be successful against the No. 1 team in the state, we need better at-bats from the lower third of our lineup,” he said. “Winning this game gives us a back door. Jade made (Castle) put the ball in play. Tomorrow, she’s going to have to hit her spots and we have to make plays. Give her run support.”
Castle played without ace Mele Turner for a second game in a row. The senior entered the game with a 6-3 record, starting in nine of the Knights’ 12 regular-season games. Coach Jon Berinobis said Turner missed the game with a groin injury, but one teammate said Turner left during practice recently and never returned.
“It’s disappointing with some players that quit on us. (Turner) walked off at practice two days ago,” said cleanup hitter and third baseman Shayla Young, who homered against Kapolei.
Berinobis’ young team, with just two senior starters, made plenty of progress this season. He expects the momentum to continue next year.
“We don’t blame anybody. It’s a team win or a team loss. We move on. We don’t dwell on it,” he said.
Lopes did a solid job. She kept Kapolei off the scoreboard until the third inning, when Milbourne led off with a homer to left that kept going in the fenceless outfield.
After Chasity McKean and Behic singled, McKean came home to score on a single by Nakoa for a 2-0 Kapolei lead.
The Knights got a leadoff homer from Young in the bottom of the fourth, but the visitors tacked on two unearned runs in the top of the fifth.
McKean reached base on a fielding error by shortstop Leialoha Josue, advanced to second on a single by Behic, and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Julianne Souza on a throw to third base after a fly ball by Zhanaye Mattson.
Nakoa then singled to left, bringing Ashley Membrere, the courtesy runner, home from second base. Kapolei led 4-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Souza doubled with one out and came home on a two-out error by Mattson, the shortstop. Lopes then hit a grounder that hit the base runner at first, Josue, for the apparent third out.
After a conference, umpires ruled that there had been no runner’s interference by Josue, and declared her safe on second base. With two runners on base, Dayzee Wong slapped a hard grounder that caromed high off the third-base bag, but Josue was tagged out on a bizarre 6-2-5 play to end the inning.
Castle got a runner on base in the sixth, but Behic struck out Sadie Antoque to end the threat. In the bottom of the seventh, Souza led off with a single and Lopes walked with two outs, but Behic retired Wong on a fly ball to end the contest.
