No. 4 wasn’t even on the roster, but she made a major impact in her first varsity game.
‘Iolani freshman Lexie Tilton, who was just brought up from the intermediate team, went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run in her debut.
Too bad for Tilton that it came in a losing cause. The Raiders, ranked No. 8 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Top 10, were beaten by rival and sixth-ranked Punahou 9-3 on Thursday at Ala Wai Community Park.
Tilton, in her first media interview, proved to know the school’s most important talking point that has been passed down through the years: She got the term “one team” in there.
“I’m proud of myself for doing that (the home run and three hits) because it was a pressure situation and I was able to actually execute,” she said. “We are very focused on one team and working well together, but we can can always improve on everything.”
Asked if she was shocked that her debut was so good, she said “Yes” through some giddy laughter.
“I felt we needed a bit more defense and to up our bench a little, so we brought her up,” said Raiders coach Benny Agbayani, whose team dropped to 3-1 and into second place a half-game behind Maryknoll (3-0).
Tilton also made three putouts in left field.
‘Iolani will try to get back on the winning track Saturday at Kamehameha (2-1).
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