Kadena's Jazlene Vergara connects against Kubasaki. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
They relied a great deal on pitching arms to begin their current run of three straight Far East tournament titles.
But the last two seasons, Kadena has broken out the lumber.
As a team, the Panthers are batting .582 with a 1.654 OPS, 57 extra-base hits with all but four out of 18 on the roster hitting .450 or better en route to a 13-1-1 record. Senior Jazlene Vergara leads the way at .737 and 1.805.
“We’re just double the trouble,” Panthers catcher Kayla Gilmore said. They’ve also relied on the right arms of Aubree Leidig, Journey Terlaje and Vergara, who’ve combined for 53 strikeouts over 56 innings.
But that doesn’t mean the Panthers can rest on their laurels, coach Daniel Lynn said. The one loss came to island-rival Kubasaki, and Kadena has had its share of tests throughout the season.
Their four-game sweep at Humphreys two weekends ago wasn’t as easy as it looked, Lynn said. “I’m glad we were as resilient as we were, but we don’t want to put ourselves in the position where we have to be resilient. Humphreys is just scrappy.”
Kadena was 8-2-2 last season behind the dominant arms of Julia Petruff and Nao Grove and the bat of Far East Division I Tournament MVP Jada Wolfgang (.667, 1.333).
Wolfgang transferred to the States and the two pitchers graduated. But Kadena had an able-bodied replacement at shortstop for Wolfgang – Madison Lovelace, who stepped in and has gone .633, 1.858 with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBI.
“I have to do what I have to do for my team,” Lovelace said.
Actually, the Panthers are chasing a fifth straight inter-district softball title, shirt-tailing onto their 2022 championship in the DODEA All-Japan tournament title they won at Yokosuka Naval Base.
“We have to make sure we keep it up, keep up the momentum,” Lynn said.
The D-I tournament is Wednesday and Thursday at Nile C. Kinnick, while the Division II is scheduled for Wednesday-Friday at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan. Saturday is a scheduled makeup date in case of rain.
At least one coach says it will take quite a bit to stanch the Panthers’ title drive.
“They’re a tough team,” said coach Ashley Gooch of the Blackhawks (10-5) “They have a lot of good pieces. They were fun to play against. They hit to a lot of good spots, a lot of gaps. If you play them, you have to be ready defensively.”
Setting the Blackhawks pace is Deja Wilson, .758, 2.523 with 16 extra-base hits, including six home runs and a team-high 22 RBIs.
Kubasaki (1-7-1) has taken its share of lumps this season, but did beat the Panthers once. Seniors Samantha Diaz (.714, 1.805) and Hailey Brassard (.688, 1.972) lead the way for the Dragons.
Kinnick and American School In Japan round out the D-I field. The Red Devils rely on the arms of Lillie Gyorkas and Teora Miyashiro, while Abbey Abdelmessih sets the pace at the plate (.586, 1.365).
Zama's Kira Herring delivers againsts Kinnick. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to Stripes)
In Division II, it’s been a struggle this season for three-time defending Far East champion Yokota (3-14), which lost its pitching tandem all three years, Zaylee Gubler and Erica Haas.
Zama has vaulted to the top of DODEA-Japan at 25-0, with Kira Herring shining on the mound (13-0, 6.33 ERA, 56 strikeouts in 42 innings) and at the plate (.750, 2.250).
“Zama has definitely made the competition more intense and set a standard for the league this season,” said Gabby Martens of Matthew C. Perry (12-5), second in the league behind Zama.
The Samurai came close to handing the Trojans their first loss last weekend, a 15-14 win in which the Trojans rallied from an early 6-2 deficit. “If we can sustain that pressure on Zama, no matter what the score, we can come out on top.”
Martens’ Samurai teammate Maia Minton, last year’s Far East offensive MVP, said she’s especially hungry after coming up short in Far East tennis and wrestling tournaments earlier this school year.
“I believe Zama does as well as they do because there’s no doubt in their minds that they’ll play their best. In return, Perry will do the same,” said Minton, who paces the Samurai at .592, 1.583 four home runs and 27 RBIs.
E.J. King (7-9) is led by Kaya Ties (.700, 1.542) and Nanami Crump (.556, 1.889). Samaria Askew (.708, 1.608) and Gracie Kenney (.667, 1.711) supply much of the batting for Yokota.
Robert D. Edgren is senior-laden, especially on the mound with right-handers Keira Marrero and Summer Martinez. Alycia Porter, All-Tournament last year, helps anchor Daegu on the mound and at shortstop.
