Softball

After seven weeks of polling, coaches and media have a new outlook on the top of the board. The panel voted for Kapolei at No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Softball Top 10, and Division II powerhouse St. Francis is in the poll for the first time this spring. It’s the first visit to the top spot this season for the Kapolei under first-year head coach Keoke Behic. The Hurricanes are one of three teams from the OIA West occupying the […]

Alesia Ranches was unstoppable on Saturday for Campbell, making her presence known at the plate and in center field during a 5-2 victory over Pearl City. Ranches, who admits she was going through bit of a slump heading in to the game, returned to form in a big way. The junior went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI in addition to stellar outfield play. The win for Campbell breaks a streak of consecutive losses to Kapolei and […]

From the pristine field they built from scratch on Sand Island, to the scrappy, patient approach to every at-bat, the Maryknoll Spartans are very resourceful. That’s what makes any long, grind of a game something the Lady Spartans relish. They went back and forth with ‘Iolani on a sunny, breezy Friday afternoon, winning 9-5 in a game that took nearly 150 minutes to complete. Victory tastes just the same whether it’s a quick game or a slow one for Maryknoll, […]

The universe of ILH softball is about many things, including circles. On Thursday, Punahou rallied for an 8-7 win over Maryknoll, which means there are three teams at or near the top of the ILH standings that have three losses each: Kamehameha (6-3), Punahou (5-3) and Maryknoll (5-3). On Tuesday, St. Francis rallied past Punahou 11-10. The poise under pressure demonstrated by the Buffanblu was steely. Steely blue. “(Tuesday), that was a tough loss,” Punahou coach Boy Eldredge said. “I […]

The Ripple Effect. The Cage Reps. The Cycle. Maybe there are more theories that make sense, but the dearth of dominant pitching may have to do with any of the above. Or none. Tuesday’s wild 11-10 battle at Ala Wai Field, a comeback win by St. Francis over No. 4 Punahou, was as much about plate vision as it was hitting. The teams combined for 23 hits, 15 walks and four hit batters. The ILH, once the domain of ace […]

The chaos in the standings of prep softball in the ILH and OIA lead to one result: confusion. In fact, one voter in this week’s Star-Advertiser Softball Top 10 simply responded: “I don’t know how to sort this out. Please repeat my ballot from last week.” The coach wasn’t alone, coaches and media are perplexed by the incredible parity this season. The growing number of quality teams — so many good ones who don’t crack the Top 10 or even […]

The parity that exists at the top of the OIA West just got even more condensed after No. 4 Kapolei’s 11-3 home victory over No. 1 Campbell on Thursday. The Sabers (5-2) led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third innings, but the Hurricanes (5-3) exploded for eight runs to break the game open. Kapolei was lifted by the stellar pitching performance of Cira Bartolotti, a recent University of Hawaii commit. The junior didn’t give up any runs after […]

Boy Eldredge hasn’t been coaching the Punahou softball team long enough to know exactly how long the drought was. He just knows it’s been ages since the Buffanblu beat Kamehameha. They did that with conviction on Wednesday afternoon, trouncing the visiting Warriors 13-5 in a key Interscholastic League of Honolulu showdown. Instead of falling two wins behind, Punahou is now tied with Kamehameha atop the league standings at 5-2. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Warriors in […]