Lady Knights Bringing ‘Stellar’ Defense To State Tourney

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Castle junior Leisha Liilii keeps her mighty pitching arm warm for the state tournament opening game Tuesday. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

With no word due on their next opponent, Castle coach Jon Berinobis spent the last several days focusing on his own team as they readied themselves for this week’s Division I state softball championships.

Asked what will make the difference for the Knights in their state tournament run, he answered without hesitation:“Our pitching has to step up and raise their game to a little higher level. They’ll have to be able to use their pitches and spot their balls.”

Junior Leisha Liilii has been the workhorse all season and will likely start Castle’s opener Tuesday. On Wednesday, Berinobis will likely come back with Macey Moe. (Pairings for the championships were to be revealed late last weekend.)

“They’ll be sharing it,” Berinobis said of the pair. “Right now, Leisha will get Game One, probably. Leisha has been playing great on all ends - she’s done good on the mound, she’s been good on defense at first, and she’s been coming up with our offense. She already was doing well last year (in the infield and at the plate), but she’s made big improvements since then in her confidence, her abilities and her control. Last year, we hardly used her as a pitcher because we had Chandelle Dacosin, but we looked at her as our No. 2 pitcher, and she stepped up to be our No. 1.”

If Castle can get by its first-round opponent, its itinerary would include four games in as many days, Tuesday through Saturday. Berinobis also noted that Brittany Lane (outfielder) and Maile Barros (infielder) could log innings on the mound.

If the Knights can get solid efforts from their pitchers, their prospects for giving themselves a chance to win against any team they face would be greatly enhanced, since defense has been Castle’s forte.

“We’ve been playing some stellar defense - we’ve played really good,” Berinobis said. “Offensively, we’re still a little shaky as far as balance. We need to get the bottom half (of the order) working. We have a lot more work to do on offense. Just making contact is still a problem for some.”

The Knights figure to be one of the younger teams at the tournament, but they are more seasoned than the average, having already defeated two previously unbeaten teams (Campbell and Roosevelt) this year. Castle is 11-4 overall entering this week’s state tournament and is coming off a second-place finish at the OIA post-season tourney.

Shortstop Brittany Hawn, second baseman Brook Kaululaau, third baseman Kaisha Dacosin, left fielder Kalena Lessary and catcher Alyssa Cipriano all have had big seasons, with only Cipriano set to complete her eligibility this week. Hawn is only a sophomore.

The Knights were in the fine-tuning stage last week with no games to immediately look ahead to. “We came out to keep our timing on and keep the rhythm and make sure they get their swings in,” Berinobis said. “We also review and rehearse things and go over situations.”

With half of the 12-team field from the OIA, Berinobis was anticipating a league foe as Castle’s first round opponent. Close games also are part of the tournament’s tradition.

“You have to go through some tough teams (to move on),” he said. “I’d say Mid-Pacific and Mililani are the favorites right now. It (the state title) is a big prize, so we have to put it all together.”