Nine teams from Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu played in the annual Lahaina Invitational Tournament held last month.

LAHAINA – The Lahaina Girls 14s Softball Team took third place in the annual Lahaina Invitational Tournament held last month.

The event drew nine teams from Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu.

The third place game was between Lahaina Girls and Hawaiian Style. The first and second place teams were Pono Black and Riptide, respectively.

All players received medals, and the first, second and third place teams received a tiki trophy carved by Lahaina Girls Softball parent Willy Tangatailoa.

The Lahaina Girls coaches said, “We are very proud of our girls; they work hard and always play as a team, and every player is a contributor. We also want to acknowledge the Lahaina community and the county for their help with the fields and coordination of resources, especially our parents who are behind the scenes making it all work for the team.”

Other tournament participants were Pacific Pride and Pono Gold from Maui, Strikers from Oahu, Lanai Pono and Team Molokai.

LGS Board Member Nathan “Mamo” Hussey said this was one of the best turnouts for the tournament since its inception.

“Every coach I talked to was happy and said their players had a blast. They want to come back again next year,” Hussey said.

“It was nice to have representation from Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Oahu. Next year, we hope to get teams from the Big Island and Kauai we definitely had a good response this year, and it will only get better.”

A tournament highlight was the Home Run Derby, where the power hitters from each team went up to bat against each other in a game of distance.

Montana Vaught of Pono Black took first place when she hit a home run over the fence at the 199-yard point.

The only player in the tournament to hit a home run over the fence during a game was Kylee “Kaala” Corpuz of Hawaiian Style.