The Punahou Buff n' Blue will take on the Maryknoll Spartans at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Maryknoll will be up against a hot Punahou team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Punahou blew past Mid-Pacific Institute 14-7 on Thursday. Considering the Buff n' Blue have won four contests by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Taryn Ho and Sydney Capello did most of the damage at the plate: Ho went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Capello went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. That home run was Capello's first of the season. Fa'Atam?li'I (Li'I) Brown was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
They weren't the only ones working in the hit department: Punahou kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Maryknoll and 'Iolani meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. Maryknoll's pitcher stepped up to hand 'Iolani a 10-0 shutout. The matchup marked the Spartans' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Kasi Cruz made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Cruz was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Maryknoll got a massive performance out of Kyla Abad, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Sheyzhelle Iokia, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two runs.
Punahou's win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Maryknoll, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Punahou beat Maryknoll 5-1 in their previous meeting on Saturday. Does Punahou have another victory up their sleeve, or will Maryknoll turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
