Softball

Some pitchers are so locked in, they have no time to think about esoteric things like how many strikeouts they had. Just getting outs is all that matters. That’s why Waianae junior Alohilani Napalapalai said “nine” when asked how many strikeouts she thought she had after Saturday’s 4-3 home win over Kapolei Charter. Try again. “Ten?” she guessed. Obviously, art is more important to her — such as how she painted the corners — than the math of the 17 strikeouts […]

Kapolei Charter School made a bit of history Saturday, playing its first OIA varsity softball game. And for two reasons at both ends of the spectrum, it was a memorable game for the school that opened three years ago. First, the ‘Iwa (Hawaiian frigate bird) held a late lead in the game at Waianae. Second, despite a solid effort, 17 Kapolei Charter girls went down swinging against the hot pitching of Waianae’s Alohilani Napalapalai in a 4-3 loss. Had it […]

The last time Keila Kamoku hit a ball this far, she was a seventh grader playing Little League baseball. She was a shortstop for the Kapolei All-Stars back then. “I remember one time, I was at a baseball state tournament in Hilo and I just had that same feeling as I have right now. We were losing by one or two runs. There’s two runners on base and I just swung, and it cleared the fence all the way on […]

Chloe Sales knows how much a pitcher means to a title-contending team. The former starting pitcher now plays first base. The Campbell senior got a good look at new teammate Taryn Irimata and other freshmen in preseason. Irimata has been on fire since day one, and she kept that momentum going with a 13-3 TKO win over Waianae in the OIA regular-season opener for both teams on Tuesday afternoon. The Sabers are now 10-4 overall with wins over an impressive […]

Benny Agbayani found his calling early and continues to have a Midas touch. The ‘Iolani softball coach guided the Raiders to their first state title in 19 seasons this spring. His oldest daughter, Aleia, had a monster season with a .636 batting average, 16 home runs and 56 RBIs while pitching and playing center field. Four Raiders landed on the All-State first team, including player of the year honors for Aleia. The depth and experience will carry over next season […]

‘Iolani pitcher Aleia Agbayani was chosen as Gatorade Hawaii Softball Player of the Year, the Gatorade Company announced Thursday. The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. The 5-foot-5 senior pitcher, first baseman and outfielder led the Raiders to a 19-5 record and the Division I state championship. Agbayani batted .636 with 49 runs scored, 16 home runs and 57 RBI, posting a 1.455 slugging percentage, according to the […]

The numbers tell us something drastic has happened in the world of high school softball, and fans are applauding from end to end on the bleachers. Batting numbers are up. Way up. So are pitching statistics. The trend has been real in the past two years, perhaps three. Compare the last two state softball Division I tournaments. A month ago, teams combined for 13 home runs. On day one. That alone surpassed the long-ball total of 12 for the 2018 […]