When it comes to Pearl City’s state softball tournament schedule, the last shall indeed be first.
The Chargers were the last team on the field on Wednesday night, closing out a 6-1 win over Kapolei just before 10 p.m.
They’ll be back in Manoa Thursday morning in advance of a noon matchup with MIL champion and third-seeded Lahainaluna in the first of four DataHouse/HHSAA Division I State Softball Championship quarterfinal games at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The first-round schedule was pushed back when the tournament opener went eight innings and Maui edged Leilehua 6-5 in a game that took 2 hours and 34 minutes to complete. After two more games, the lineup was an hour behind schedule heading into the final game of the day and Kapolei’s Sadie Kapaku-You threw the first pitch of the nightcap at 8 p.m.
Pearl City, the OIA runner up, jumped ahead in the top of the first and Tyanna “Peanut Butter” Kaaialii turned in a tidy performance in a complete-game victory to send the Chargers into the quarterfinals in less than 2 hours.
Kaaialii allowed four hits, struck out four and walked four while throwing 93 pitches in the Chargers’ fourth win over Kapolei this season.
Kaailii got 12 groundouts, nine going to shortstop Darian Obara, who turned in dazzling plays from deep in the hole and went 2-for-4 with an RBI at the plate.
Freshman Jaeda McFarland gave Pearl City a 3-0 lead with a two-run double in the fifth inning and Kaaialii contributed an RBI double to Pearl CIty’s three-run seventh.
Kapolei scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth on Ciena Kauhi’s RBI triple.
Thursday’s Pearl City-Lahainaluna game will actually be the second of the day at RWSS. Leilehua and Roosevelt meet in a consolation bracket game at 10 a.m.
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Pearl City (12-3) 100 020 3 — 6 9 0
Kapolei (5-12) 000 010 0 — 1 4 3
Tyanna Kaaialii and Hailey Alexis Yamaguchi. Sadie Kapaku-You and Prestyne Kaimi-Montira. W—Kaaialii.L—Kapaku-You.
Leading hitters—Pearl City: Jaeda McFarland, 2B, 2 RBis; Darian Obara, 2-4; RBI; Kaaialii, 2B, RBI; Noel Saunders, RBI; Yamaguchi, RBI; Cheyne Obara, 2-3. Kapolei: Ciena Kauhi, 3B, RBI; Kiley Ozaki, 2-3, 2B.
Thursday’s games
Consolation bracket
Leilehua vs. Roosevelt, 10 a.m.
Quarterfinals
No. 3 Lahainaluna vs. Pearl City, noon
No. 4 Waiakea vs. Kamehameha, 2:15 p.m.
No. 1 Mililani vs. Maui, 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Maryknoll vs. Campbell, 7 p.m.
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