Unpredictable BIIF Softball Tournament Begins Tuesday

The 2012 high school softball season has seen seen some surprising momens. None may have been bigger than Waiakea’s 59-game BIIF winning streak getting snapped by the Kea’au Cougars, happening at the home field of the Warriors.

Waiakea has a chance to play their best softball when it counts when the BIIF Division I tournament begins Tuesday. Waiakea will match up with Hilo, a rematch of Saturday’s season-finale, which was won by the Warriors 12-1. Meanwhile, the Cougars have to travel to Kailua-Kona to face the Kealakehe Waveriders, the top seed in the West.

The champion in Division I will have a seeded spot in the state softball tournament next week. Meanwhile, the runner-up will have to play an extra game, needing a win against the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s sixth-best team to make states.

In Division II, the top seeds from each side of the island are Kohala (West Division) and Kamehameha-Hawaii (East Division). The Warriors come in with a 6-9 record, facing all three Division I teams in the region. But, they will be battle tested against the best of the West. Meanwhile, Kohala comes in to the tournament hot, winning five games in a row.

The BIIF will send three teams to states, meaning that both semi-final losers will have an opportunity to redeem themselves by winning a third-place game to qualify for the state tournament.

Division I tournament schedule (all games played at higher seed):

Tuesday, April 24th

E3 Hilo vs. E1 Waiakea – 3:00 p.m.

E2 Kea’au vs. W1 Kealakehe – 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 26th

Hilo / Waiakea winner vs. Kea’au / Kealakehe winner – 3:00 p.m.

Division II tournament schedule (all games played at higher seed):

Wednesday, April 25th

W3 Konawaena vs. E2 Pahoa – 3:00 p.m.

E3 Ka’u vs. W2 Honoka’a – 3:00 p.m.

Friday, April 28th

Konawaena / Pahoa winner vs. W1 Kohala – 3:00 p.m.

Ka’u / Honoka’a winner vs. E1 Kamehameha-Hawaii – 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 29th

Division II third-place game – 1:00 p.m.

Division II championship game – 1:00 p.m.