Shedding its three-year "bridesmaid" label, Mililani broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning last night and went on to defeat Roosevelt, 6-2, for the DataHouse Softball State Championship.

A capacity crowd of 1,200 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium watched the O'ahu Interscho-lastic Association runner-up Trojans finish the regular and postseason with a 16-3 record, ending with their fifth straight state title game appearance. They won in 2005 but lost the past three years.

"It did hurt (to finish second), but we just had to be patient," said Mililani right fielder Glenelle Nitta, who went 2 for 4 with two RBIs last night. "We just had to keep working every day, and take everything one inning at a time."

The OIA champ Rough Riders (16-2) were making their first state title game appearance since 1986 and fell short in a bid for the school's first crown.

Mililani trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the third but tied it on Nitta's RBI single, then took a 4-2 lead in the fifth after run-scoring singles by Kishti Kamaka and Jayme Robinson.

The Trojans added two more runs in the sixth after a bases-loaded infield error and Nitta's RBI groundout to third.

That was more than enough run support for starter Kishti Kamaka, who shut out Roosevelt over the final four innings and finished with six strikeouts and only one walk.

"I'm very happy I came back to this team," said Kamaka, a senior left-hander who started her career as a Mililani freshman before transferring to Kapolei as a sophomore and St. Francis as a junior. "I was going for them all these years, watching (the state championship game) from the sidelines. I love these girls, that's one of the main reasons I came back."

Rough Riders starter Lianna Bajarin helped Roosevelt defeat the Trojans, 3-1, in the OIA title game two weeks ago, but last night Mililani tagged her for 11 hits and four earned runs.

"It's unfortunate she got hit," Rough Riders coach Clay Okamura said. "But give (the Trojans credit)."

Mililani coach Rose Antonio said the Trojans learned from the last outing against Bajarin.

"We made adjustments, we were moving up (toward the plate)," Antonio said. "She was throwing to the outside (corner), so we adjusted. Plus, the girls relaxed more. Throughout the whole tournament, they never gave up. They just took deep breaths and relaxed."

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