No. 1 Campbell gets back on track

That’s more like it for the three-time defending state champions.

After consecutive setbacks to Kapolei and Waianae, No. 1 Campbell got back to its winning ways with a 5-2 victory over Pearl City on Saturday.

“We played a lot better than we have in the last two games. There’s still a lot of rust that we have to take away. We gotta get our game a lot better and hopefully we can,” said Campbell coach Michael Hermosura. “(The OIA West standings) are bunched up all at the middle and the top and it’s anybody’s game right now. Whoever comes with their ‘A’ game should get the ‘W.’ ”

The Sabers (6-3) were lifted by a return to form by Alesia Ranches, who admitted she was struggling at the plate heading into the game. The junior finished 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI, in addition to stellar defensive play in center field.

“I was doing bad earlier and I just had to somehow pick myself up,” Ranches said. “From the last games, we started flipping the switch to get that winning momentum going into the playoffs and the end of the season.”

Campbell cleanup hitter Chloe Domingo’s single in the first inning brought home Ranches to give the Sabers a 1-0 lead. The Chargers (5-4) tied the game in the second inning when Braelynn Kaulu-Choy Foo scored on a wild pitch.

Ranches gave Campbell the lead for good in the third inning after her second hit of the day drove in Caisha Nunes. In the next at-bat, Trinity Favela scored on a sacrifice fly by Anastasia Iosia.

After having done some damage with her bat, Ranches took over with her glove.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Ranches made a full-extension diving catch to rob Alexas Presto-Ahsing of extra bases. Every other fly ball hit to Ranches was met with an audible groan by the Pearl City senior day crowd as she finished with four putouts and no errors.

“She’s a big, big, big plus. She’s only a junior. Normally, she should be at shortstop, but I have to have somebody out there. She’s a go-to girl,” Hermosura said. “She’s a great athlete. Lots of speed, a lot of knowledge about the game. Struggling a little bit, but she’ll come around.”

The Chargers cut the Campbell lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth after Tiari Hernandez’s one-out single scored Cheyne Obara from second. However, Ranches’ throw to third on the same play nabbed Micalynn Nacnac and Campbell starter Chloe Sales got Presto-Ahsing to fly out in the next at-bat to end the threat.

Campbell added two insurance runs in the seventh inning. Favela hit a solo home run and Ranches followed with a double. She was driven in by Iosia, who singled in the next at-bat.

Presto-Ahsing took the loss after allowing 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 62⁄3 innings. Maiyah Faleafine-Lesu took over with two outs in the top of the seventh and retired the only batter she faced.

“We found another pitcher that we can use. Couldn’t ask for more from her. She did her job, she hit her spots for the most part,” Pearl City coach Chad Obara said of Presto-Ahsing, who was seldom used on the mound before Saturday. “We gotta just sharpen up our game. We gotta clean some stuff up. We gotta get back on track and we should be OK.”

Sales pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Campbell to finish the complete game. The sophomore finished with four walks, three hits and no strikeouts. Despite getting through the game in just 78 pitches, Hermosura said that more is expected of her.

“She was under 80 (pitches), but she throws a lot better than that. … We’ll get her back in shape and pitching form,” Hermosura said. “As a sophomore, she has a lot to learn.”

Sales didn’t feel that she was at her best on the mound either, but she’ll gladly take the win.

“I wasn’t hitting my spots and stuff like that, but (Hermosura) kept talking to me and building my confidence, and I felt better and better throwing my pitches,” she said. “We just needed to do something to pick us up. … Today was the day and we all came in clutch.”