Kamehameha outslugs ‘Iolani to capture ILH softball title

Jewels Hanawahine — who said she had some help from above — drove in four runs with a double and a home run in the first three innings as Kamehameha beat ‘Iolani 9-4 on Monday for the Warriors’ first Interscholastic League of Honolulu softball championship since 2016.

Hanawahine, playing third base, also snagged a smash off the bat of the Raiders’ Kennadie Tsue that ended the game at the Ala Wai Field a few feet away from the ‘Iolani campus — home of the 2022 and 2019 state champions and, until Monday, the reigning league champions.

Kamehameha continues to play in memory of coach Ray Motta, who died before the start of last season.

Hanawahine said she is inspired by Motta’s spirit. He was her coach from seventh through ninth grades.

After the 2021 season was lost to the pandemic, Hanawahine took last season off from high school softball. Focusing on travel ball worked out for her, helping her secure a scholarship at New Mexico.

Now, she said, she wants to help win a state championship for all of the Warriors, especially “Coach Ray.”

“She’s been rock-solid all year,” Kamehameha coach Mark Lyman said.

And the Warriors and Raiders battled each other fiercely this season.

Before Monday’s game, these teams had met five times, with ‘Iolani winning three games, but Kamehameha scoring 43 runs to 41 for ‘Iolani. Four of their games were decided by one or two runs.

The Warriors have won when it counted most, also winning Saturday to force Monday’s final ILH title game.

Kamehameha (12-5) has the championship, but ‘Iolani (13-5) still has the slightly better overall record.

“’Iolani is a very strong team,” Hanawahine said. “They have speed, defense, power. So we have to be ready to play them, and today we were.”

Kamehameha sent eight batters to the plate in a four-run first inning that featured Hanawahine’s full-count, two-out, two-run double to right-center. Mikaela Scarborough followed with another full-count hit, scoring Hanawahine.

“Our motto is strike fast and strike often,” Hanawahine said.

Hanawahine struck again in the third, with a blast over the fence in left-center, following a single by Miquela Leopoldo.

While the Warriors built their lead to 6-0, Kiani Soller limited the Raiders to two harmless infield singles in the first two innings. ‘Iolani broke through in the third with Hunter Salausa-Galletes’ single driving in Mia Carbonell, who had belted a ground-rule double.

Mua Williams keyed a three-run Kamehameha rally in the sixth with a double.

‘Iolani fired back with three in its half, as Salausa-Galletes singled and reached third on an error, Haley Acosta walked and Lexi Muramoto doubled to start the inning. Soller retired the next two batters to mitigate the damage.

“She’s a dog, she wants the ball,” Lyman said of Soller.

‘Iolani coach Chad Cordeiro was disappointed, but said his team never “went flat.”

“Today just didn’t go our way,” he said. “We were ready to go. We made some adjustments, but made them too late.”

He told his players to keep their heads high; the Raiders and Warriors both advance to next week’s HHSAA state championships.

“The good thing is, this stings, but you get up tomorrow morning and start getting ready for states,” Cordeiro said.