Campbell's Dwayne Sprinkel connected with this pitch for a two-run home run against Mid-Pacific. Evan Asato | SL

Purchase image 1 of 2

Campbell's Tryzen Patricio is mobbed by teammates after his game-winning hit against Mid-Pacific. Steve Erler | Special to SL

Purchase image 2 of 2

MANOA - The baseball gods sure made the Campbell Sabers wait for their first state crown in 37 years.

Tyrzen Patricio's two out single in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Keola Himan from third base with the winning run and No. 1 Campbell edged No. 3 Mid-Pacific Institute, 3-2, for the Sabers' first Wally Yonamine Foundation Division I state baseball championship since 1978.

It was their second extra-inning game in as many nights. They needed 10 to beat Kamehameha in the semifinals. The game was another nail-biter for the 3,635, especially those from 76 South.

Broken hearts were mended for the Sabers, who lost in the semifinals to the Owls in 2013 on Maui and a heart-breaker to Saint Louis last year at LMS. Both teams went on to win the championship.

"What really made us drive was our lost last year to Saint Louis," winning pitcher Keola Himan said. "The next day on, we just promised each other that we'd work hard to get to his game again."

It was gratifying for 12th-year coach Rory Pico. His group of seniors won three Oahu Interscholastic Association titles and finally a state crown.

"We knew it was going to be a grind, it was going to be tough,' Pico said. "We expected nothing less. I'm proud of the boys for sticking through it. There were some tough calls, tough plays that we had to fight through and play through and they did. They ended up clutching up at the end. I'm just proud of them."

This time, the heart break fell on the Owls, one of the most successful teams in tournament history with five titles.

"it's the championship game," Muramaru said. "You have to do what you have to do."

In the bottom of the eighth against reliever Jacob Maekawa, Blayze Arcano-Llacuna led off with a chop-single to third, but was caught stealing second when Kila Kapihe missed on a bunt attempt for a strike. But Kapihe singled to left. With a 2-1 count on Himan, Maekawa's pick-off throw to first was wide and Kapihe made it all the way to third. Himan was intentionally walked and stole second on the first pitch without drawing a throw.

With Kainoa Gananical up, the Owls brought their infielders and outfielders in. The Owls stayed alive when Ganancial hit a grounder to shortstop Tyler Yamaguchi, who got Kapihe out at the plate. With runners at the corners, Patricio swung and missed at Maekawa's first offering, as Ganancial stole second. Patricio knocked the next pitch into right field for the game winner.

"I was thinking, I live for this moment," Patricio said. "We live for this moment. I just needed something I could drive."

Patricio also drove in the go-ahead run in the Sabers' OIA championship win against Mililani. Again, the right-handed hitting Patricio went to the opposite field in that contest.

"I believed in him," said senior Ian Kahaloa, the tournament's MVP. "He did it for us once, so I knew he could do it again."

Alex Oley, who pitched 7 2/3 innings for the Owls this season, gave five strong innings. He nursed a 1-0 lead through five. But in the sixth, he surrendered a two-run home run to right  to Bula Sprinkel for the team's first home run of the season to give the Sabers a 2-1 lead.

"I wasn't about to give up, no way," Sprinkel said. "We came up short these two years. I wasn't going to let it happen again. Not to these boys. These boys mean too much to me."

It was Sprinkel's second over-the-fence homer of his high school career. The other came as a freshman on the JV at Moanalua, he said.

But the Owls showed why they five state titles in their showcase. In the seventh against Campbell starting pitcher Dorrien Villanueva-Hermosura, Oley singled with one out. Noah Shackles, who was 3 for 3, swung at the first pitch and flied out to left. With the hot-hitting Tyler Yamaguchi at the plate, Villanueva was called for a balk, putting the tying run at second base. On a 3-2 pitch, Oley broke for third, but Yamaguchi hit a slow hopper to third and beat out third baseman Kapihe's throw to first, as Oleyi crossed the plate with the tying run. Chase Wago, who had played with most of the seniors on Campbell when they won Bronco World Series in 2010, fouled out to third to end the inning.

"I hesitated because I thought it went off the guys foot," Kapihe explained about Yamaguchi's hit. "Then I noticed, there was no umpire (signal) and I had to make the play and get rid of it as fast as I could."

The Sabers threatened to win in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Patricio singled and was lifted for courtesy runner Shane Shimizu, who took second on a wild pitch before Sprinkel struck out. Jobe Ibana then his a grounder to third baseman Trevin Tengan, who instead of throwing to first, tried to nail Shimizu in a rundown. Instead Tengan's throw to second sailed into right field, allowing Shimizu to take third, as Ibana reached on a fielder's choice. Kahaloa, who doubled in his first at-bat, was intentionally walked to load the bases, but Villanueva grounded to second for a force at second to end the threat.

Himan, who started in right field, picked up for Villanueva in the eighth and retired the Owls in order, setting up the Sabers' bottom-of-the-inning rally.

Mid-Pacific took a 1-0 lead in the third against Villanueva, who allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings. Maekawa drilled a 2-0 pitch to left for a double, went to third on Oley's sacrifice and scored on Shackles' line single to center before Villanueva retired the next two batters.

The Sabers finished the season 16-2, while the Owls ended at 14-4.