OIA Softball
Kaaialii pitches, bats Pearl City over Campbell, 1-0


  



Tue, Apr 11, 2017 @ [ 3:00 pm ]


F/8TH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Pearl City 0 0000001120
Campbell 0 0 000000032

W: Tyanna Kaaialii    L: Danielle Cervantes

CAMP: Malia Kaakimaka 1-1; Danielle Cervantes 8.0 IP 0 ER 6 K
PC: Tyanna Kaaialii 2-3 / 8.0 IP 0 ER 10 K


EWA BEACH — Tyanna Kaaialii backed her own three-hitter with her team's only two hits and her courtesy runner scored the only run of the game in No 4 Pearl City's 1-0 win against No. 1 Campbell in eight innings Tuesday to spoil the Sabers' senior day.

With the win, the Chargers (8-2) pulled into a three-way tie for first with the Sabers (8-2) and idle Mililani (8-2) in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Western Division. All have two games left to sort the logjam for a first-round bye in next week's 12-team OIA tournament. The top two teams from each division draw first-round byes.

The Trojans control their fate, as they host Campbell Thursday and travel to Pearl City Saturday. The Chargers visit Waianae Thursday. The Sabers travel for their next two games, the latter being Saturday at Nanakuli.

"I think we're in a good position, but I don't think we're in a driver's seat," Pearl City coach Chad Obara said. "This conference can go any way on any given day."

Kaaialii (8-2) matched a season-high with 10 strikeouts and contained the Sabers to three singles and five walks, four to Jocelyn Alo, in the complete-game win. The right-handed Kaaialii has handed Campbell its only losses.

"We felt really good," Kaaialii said. "We've done it before, we did it again. We just proved to ourselves we're capable of much more than we're showing. Definitely very exciting helping us picking up momentum for the next two games."

She won the duel with reigning All-Hawaii Player of the Year Danielle Cervantes, who surrendered two singles to her counterpart and struck out six in eight innings.

"Her composure was really good today," Obara said of Kaaialii. "She got into some sticky situations. Defense came up clutch. She made some pitches when she needed to and I think she was able to do that because she kept her composure."

Chargers courtesy runner Maiki Au reaches home safely for the winning run in the top of the eighth inning. Spencer Honda | SL    Purchase image

The Sabers went down in order in the bottom of the seventh. Chloe Domingo hit a drive to deep right right where freshman right fielder Jaeda McFarland made an over-the-head catch. It happened in the only area of the field where the temporary fence did not cover; the fence covered from left field to center. By all accounts from Campbell coach Shag Hermosura, Obara and McFarland, the hit likely would have been a home run or close to it if the fence extended that far.

Kaaialii breathed a sigh of relief after the catch and struck out the next two batters.

"I told her ‘Thank you' and I will treat her to ice cream," Kaaialii said with a laugh. "Definitely would've been close (to a home run). My nerves were rushing through me."

Added McFarland: "I was just trying to help PB (Peanut Butter, Kaaialii's nickname) out. She does her job and my job is to back her up and just catch the ball."

From McFarland's point, she said the fly ball was "about the fence line or a little bit over it."

Then in the top of the eighth, Kaaialii led off the with a ground single to left. Her courtesy runner, Maiki Au, took second on Cheyne Obara's sacrifice. On a 1-1 pitch to Taylor Au, Maiki Au stole third and scored when shortstop Caisha Nunes could not hold on to catcher Alo's throw, allowing the runner to score. Cervantes retired the next to batters to bring the Sabers up in the bottom of the eighth.

Nikki Corla hit a full count pitch off the glove of Kaaialii toward second baseman Obara for a single. Alo, representing the wnning run, saw four wide pitches — as she had in three previous plate appearances — to move Corla to second.

"I'd be an idiot if I threw something that I wasn't going to pitch around her," Obara said. "We were willing to let her swing at something (away). I give her credit. I would think 99 percent of other hitters would've tried, but she understood and did what was best for the team."

Since drawing four walks against Leilehua on March 25, Hermosura has moved Alo from the No. 3 spot in the order to leadoff. Alo has five hits in 15 official at-bats; two are doubles and two are home runs. She has been walked 18 times.

"They're walking her every game," Hermosura said. "At least we get a runner on first and try to manufacture runs. Every time she got on first and if we did the execution, we'd have a different story. We didn't execute."

Trinity Favela tried to bunt the runners over, but first baseman Bryanna Passi pounced on the ball and fired to shortstop Darian Obara for the force at third.

Cieana Curran flied out to shallow center, and Zoie Recolan grounded out to third to end the game.

The Sabers had their chances. They had second and third with two out in the second, but Kaaialii struck out Corla to end the threat. Campbell also had second and third with one out in the third, but Alo, who stayed in to run in lieu of the courtesy runner, was caught in a rundown between third and home on a 0-1 pitch to Recolan, who then struck out to end the inning.

Kaaialii tips her cap to Alo.

"It was definitely nerve-racking," Kaaialii said of facing Alo. "She definiely lives up to her name, definitely lives up to every expectation everyone has of her. She's a very good player. She's deinitely one of my very few idols that I carry to a hgh standard. My goal is to be like her, even though I'm not as tall or strong. I'll take as much as I can get."



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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