Kapaa softball coach Blair Yamashita said the koahead trophy that accompanied the team home on Saturday was not the first for the team.
“This is the third trophy in four years,” Yamashita said. “This year is the second straight title after winning the Division II last year. If we can do this next year, it’ll be three straight. I think we can do that.”
The Warrior softball opened play in the quarterfinals of the 2025 DataHouse Hawaii High School Division II Softball Championships on Wednesday, with a 15-1 win over Kailua High School.
The top seeded team advanced to the semifinals on Friday and shut down Pac5, 17-0 in five innings when Warrior hurler Karlee Rose Keale threw a no-hitter with three strikeouts. Charlize Kenney and Jaicie Martinez both hit homeruns that drove in a combined seven runners to advance to the finals against the second-seeded Pearl City.
Trailing 3-0 on Friday during the finals, Kapaa picked themselves up with a four-run third inning, added a run in the fifth frame, and had insurance runs in the sixth inning while Pearl City could only answer with a run in the fourth, and a last-ditch run in the seventh.
Martinez and Welina Carvalho-Brede had the hot bats for Kapaa who tallied 11 hits for its seven runs in the 7-5 title win. Martinez and Carvalho-Brede each marked three-baggers while Andie Iglesia marked three hit with an RBI.
Keale picked up the win on the mound, allowing five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and three batters walking.
Originally scheduled to return on Saturday at lunch, the team switched its plans in order to support the baseball team, and the boys volleyball team that were both involved in battles for their respective DII state titles.
When the team finally reached home on the last flight of the Lihue Airport day, a large group, including the Team Krush community program parents, Council Chair Mel Rapozo, and Councilmember Bernard Carvalho joined a caravan of big rig to welcome the team home.
Source: The Garden Island