OIA Softball
Kaaialii, Yamaguchi lead No. 2 Pearl City in 2-1 win over top-ranked Campbell


  



Tue, Mar 14, 2017 @ [ 3:00 pm ]


FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Campbell 0 000100131
Pearl City 0 0 0002X260

W: Tyanna Kaaialii    L: Danielle Cervantes

PC: Hailey-Alexis Yamaguchi 1-3 2 rbi; Tyanna Kaaialii 7.0 IP 1 ER 10 K
CAMP: Jocelyn Alo 1-2 dbl; Danielle Cervantes 6.0 IP 0 ER 5 K


PEARL CITY — The Pearl City battery of Tyanna Kaaialii and Hailey-Alexis Yamaguchi make a pretty darn good team.

Kaaialii pitched a complete-game three-hitter with a season-high 10 strikeouts and Yamaguchi hit a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to help the host Chargers rally to a 2-1 win over Campbell Tuesday afternoon.

Pearl City, the No. 2 team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, improved to 4-0 in handing the top-ranked and two-time defending Division I state champion Sabers (3-1) their first loss of the season.

The win pushes the Chargers into sole possession of first place in the deep Western Division of the Oahu Interscholastic Association.

Kaaialii, a senior, allowed three hits and walked two to improve to 4-0 on the year with a 1.87 ERA. She retired the first 11 batters she faced and threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 26 batters she faced.

"It was probably that sharpest I've seen her in a while," Pearl City coach Chad Obara said. "There were a couple of moments in the game where it looked like the emotions were starting to get to her, but she settled down and got the job done."

Kaaialii did not allow a Campbell batter to reach base until Jocelyn Alo walked on four pitches with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. She hit the next batter, Chloe Domingo, with a 2-2 pitch, but got Anastasia Iosia to strike out on a check swing to get out of the jam.

"I treat every batter the same and I go after them the same. It doesn't really matter to me," Kaaialii said. "When I get into those situations — you know, any pitcher would get a little nervous — but in my head I tell myself that I'll be OK and I know my teammates have my back no matter what."

Cieana Curran broke up Kaaialii's no-hit bid when she beat the throw by Chargers' shortstop Darian Obara for an infield single to lead off the fifth inning. Kaaialii recorded the first out when she got Liana Nagamine to pop up on a bunt attempt, but Yamaguchi — a second-year starter behind the plate — stepped out of the playing surface after running down the pop up, which allowed Curran to take second on the dead ball.

"It's called a catch-and-carry, so when you catch the ball in play and then go out the runner gets a bag," Obara clarified.

One batter later, pinch hitter Trinity Favela fouled off three straight offerings from Kaaialii before pulling an 0-2 pitch into left field to plate Curran from second to put the Sabers ahead.

Kaaialii limited the damage by getting Dyllan Sanay to strike out to end the inning.

The Chargers saw several offensive opportunities squandered early on.

Darian Obara was left on base to end the bottom of the first after getting on with a two-out single to left-center. Bryanna Passi led off the third inning with a single on a quick bunt, but was doubled off after Campbell pitcher Danielle Cervantes got Taylor Shigeta to pop up her bunt attempt with no outs.

"Dani is tough and I think the other side called the right pitches to create those things, so it's not just that she's tough to bunt (against), but they're calling the pitches to create those type of situations," Obara noted.

Jaeda McFarland led off the fourth inning with a first-pitch single to left, but was caught stealing when she was gunned down by Sabers' star catcher Jocelyn Alo, a University of Oklahoma signee. Cervantes got the next two batters to strike out to end the inning.

"She's real fast, actually, but it was just a miscommunication on signals on that one," Obara said of McFarland, a freshman right fielder.

The Chargers left another runner stranded in the fifth inning, when Cheyne Obara hit a two-out bloop single to short center, but Passi struck out on a rise ball from Cervantes, last year's All-Hawaii D1 Player of the Year.

Kaaialii kept her team within a run by striking out two more in the top of the sixth to leave a Campbelll runner at second before Pearl City finally scratched across a couple of runs in the bottom of the frame.

Shigeta reached on a Campbell fielding error and Kylie Tasaki singled on a 3-2 pitch to open the inning. Shigeta moved from first to third on the hit and Tasaki moved into scoring position on defensive indifference.

Two batters later Darian Obara walked to load the bases for clean-up hitter Noel Saunders. However, Cervantes got Saunders to pop out to Alo in foul territory, which brought Yamaguchi to the plate.

Yamaguchi took the first pitch of the at bat for a ball before lining the 1-0 offering from Cervantes into right field to score the tying run in Shigeta and the go-ahead run in Tasaki.

"I just saw an outside strike and I just went for it," Yamaguchi said. "It looked like a fastball and I just went with it. She was pitching outside all day to me, so I had that plan that she was going throw me outside and I was going to be ready for it."

Yamaguchi went 0 for 2 in her first two plate appearances Tuesday. She flied out to right field for the first out of the second inning and lined out to center to lead off the fifth.

"It was important for those guys ahead of her to get on base, so the situation came up for her and all we told her was to stay within herself and go make good contact and that's what she did," Obara said.

No one was more thrilled for Yamaguchi — who is batting .333 and has hit safely in all four games for the Chargers this season — than her batterymate.

"I am extremely excited for her," Kaaialii said. "I've played with her for five years and she's been my catcher for three of those five years, so I'm very happy for her."

The Sabers got the leadoff man aboard in the top of the seventh when Iosia drew a five-pitch walk, but Kaaialii struck out Curran and got Nagamine to pop out before Tasaki made a stellar catch on a ball off the bat of Favela in foul territory down the third base line to end the game.

"That felt so good. As much as I want to try and not overbear it, but it felt great," Kaaialii said of Tasaki's play.

Tasaki kept her toes just inside of the playing surface while laying out for the game-clinching grab.

"It was like the football players tippy-toeing the line to make a catch. That was impressive," Obara said. "We've talked to them about the rules, so I'm glad she remembered."

The 10 strikeouts were a season-high for Kaaialii, while the two walks she issued were a season-low.

"She did a hell of a job. She hit her spots, she had good speed and everything was working for her today," Campbell coach Michael Hermosura said. "She deserved the win; the whole team deserved the win. We just couldn't adjust to her pitches and that's the bottom line."

Cervantes struck out five and walked one. She gave up six hits in six innings to fall to 3-1 on the season. Both runs she was charged with were unearned.

"Dani didn't have her stuff; she's still dealing with her back issues so it's hard. We've been working with her and giving her time to rest, but it should be an ongoing thing," Hermosura said. "But we're young, we're going to battle and we're going to see what we can do."

The Sabers will face their second ranked opponent in as many games when they take on ninth-ranked Mililani (2-1) at McKinley at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Pearl City will host Waianae (0-4) at 10 a.m. Saturday before visiting the Trojans next Tuesday.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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