Campbell downs Waianae behind Delzer's pitching


Nadia Delzer overcame a shaky first inning and scattered eight hits to improve to 5-0 in the pitching circle. Spencer Honda | SL

EWA BEACH — Once again, No. 1 Campbell got a come-from-behind win. Only this time it was not as dramatic as past games.

Nadia Delzer scattered eight hits over seven innings and the host Sabers topped No. 3 Waianae, 5-1, Thursday to clinch at least a tie for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I West softball title. They could clinch the title outright Friday when the Sabers (9-0) host Pearl City (3-6) for their Senior Game.

"For me, we're not a win-loss record team; it's not what we look at," Campbell coach Shag Hermosura said. "All we look at is getting momentum into the rest of the season. If it continues, we can achieve our goals."

The Seariders (6-3) dropped their second in a row and fell a half-game behind second-place Leilehua (7-3).

"The Red (D1) West is always tough," Waianae coach Robert Kalaola said. "We just have to get back to our game plan. Right now, we're not executing. Once the girls start executing and bounce back from these (last) two games, we should be all right."

Seaerra Fuentes-Arellano batted 3 for 3 in the lead-off spot, while Dylan Sanay-Shiraishi and Hoku Pacheco collected two hits each to lead the Sabers' 10-hit attack on Waianae starting pitcher Mya Keliiwaiwaiole, who took the loss.

The senior right-handed Delzer overcame a shaky first inning when Xailey Kamealoha led off the game with a triple to right and scored on Kailah Gates-Coyaso's squeeze. Delzer gave up two singles in the inning but stranded the runners. She would scatter five more hits the rest of the game, while walking none and striking out three to improve to 5-0 on the season.

"She's been working hard on the field and in the weight room, especially in the bullpen," Hermosura said. "Probably going with her tomorrow; it's Senior Game and hopefully she'll do good. She threw her heart out today, I know that. She wanted this game bad."

Delzer was able to hit her spots effectively, forcing contact and letting her reliable fielders to the work. She allowed the lead-off batter to reach only twice; one scored and the other was erased on a double play.

"I felt good," said Delzer, who relied on inside screwballs and outside curves. "I felt I was ready to play and we were warming up, I felt hot and ready to go. It just showed today."

Caisha Nunes, also a senior, is pleased to see her classmate enjoying success this season.

"She doing really good," Nunes said. "Even though last year she hadn't started as many games as she wanted to, this year she really put in the work and it's showing on the field."

There was no late-inning drama for the Sabers. They quickly took the lead in the bottom of the first. Fuentes-Arellano led off with a single and an out later went to third on Sanay-Shiraishi's single to right-center. Nunes followed with a run-scoring single to right that moved courtesy runner Jaelyn Meyers to second. Jayda Favela poked a single just under the shortstop Tyra Lynn Pai's outstretched glove to score Meyers to give Campbell a 2-1 lead.

"It feels good knowing that my team has my back no matter what," Delzer said of the early run support.

Campbell added to its lead in the third with an unearned run. Michaela Fonoti reached on an error. Pacheco and Fuentes-Arellano each singled to load the bases. An out later, Sanay-Shiraishi walked to force home a run to make it 3-1.

The games stayed that way until the sixth, when the Sabers added two runs on an RBI double by Alesia Ranches and RBI single by Sanay-Shiraishi.

The Sabers seemed to have found their swag the last two games after a 13-8 win against winless Aiea (0-10). In that game, Campbell squandered a five-run lead in the fifth inning only to seal it in the final two innings. At one juncture, the Sabers had four consecutive come-from-behind wins in games they trailed in the fifth inning.

"It feels good to come together as a team, to push back and fight," Nunes said. "We just keep pushing and driving to the end."

Waianae will play Mililani 7 p.m. Saturday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The Sabers moved their game to Friday because of their senior prom on Saturday.



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].