Photography and story by Rick Ogata/Special to Hawaii247.com
Keaau 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 Hilo 0 0 1 2 0 0 5
Hilo def. Keaau 8-6
May 1, 2009. Keaau and Hilo had a big showdown at the Walter Victor softball field to determine who would be awarded the second invite to the state tournament. Keaau started the game off with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning, including Jacy Pagal’s two-run triple. Keaau continued to score in the second inning, getting two more runs off Hilo’s starting pitcher Scottlyn Wong. Hilo’s Ashlyn Kaneshiro came into the game after two outs in the second inning and proceeded to shut down the Cougar offense. Kristen Balino-Santo pitched a great game for Keaau allowing only three runs to score for the Vikings going into the final inning. Needing jsut three outs in the seventh inning, Keaau could see their chance at a state berth becoming a reality. That is when the Viking bats came alive, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hilo’s Alixis Gonzales drove in two runs to give the Vikings the win in a dramatic fashion.
Scottlyn Wong and Zaylyn Vincent both paired hits for Hilo, while Jovy Haunio and Kristen Balino-Santo had two hits each for Keaau. Ashlyn Kaneshiro got the win for Hilo while Kristen Balino-Santo took the loss for Keaau.
In the second scheduled game between Kealakehe and Waiakea, the game was forfeited by Kealakehe. Hilo and Waiakea will play at Waiakea’s field for the BIIF championships on Saturday at 1:00 PM.