Now that everyone has played each other, the rest of the teams in the OIA West have got to be wondering if they have given Campbell too much of a head start.
Ian Kahaloa scattered six hits in six innings and Campbell completed an undefeated run through the first half of its OIA West schedule with a 6-2 win over Mililani at Campbell on Wednesday. The Sabers improved to 6-0 and are two games clear of second-place Waipahu with six games left. Campbell has outscored the West teams 37-7 in the process.
“They are a good team,” Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said. “Up and down the lineup they are aggressive and they have some good athletes and they pitch well. They are a good team and they are going to be someone to reckon with.”
Campbell scored two runs in the first without the benefit of a hit. Raymond Pedrina got plunked by Mililani starter Kanoa Hironaka’s first pitch of the game. Brannon Okinaka then walked on four pitches and the runners stole. Pedrina then scored on Tryzen Patricio’s grounder to short. Okinaka scored Campbell’s second run on Hironaka’s second wild pitch of the inning.
“We have been struggling with the bat, so we put guys in motion and try to put pressure on the defense,” Campbell coach Rory Pico said. “That’s one aspect of the game, you want to make plays and make them make plays on you.”
Campbell has not given up more than two runs in a game all year, affording the Sabers the luxury of playing small ball, even in the first inning.
Mililani responded in the top of the second, when Ekolu Ramos was hit by a pitch and Trevor Inouye and Kanoa Wong paired singles behind him, with Wong’s driving Ramos in from third. Kahaloa got out of the threat by getting the next two batters to fly out.
After showing off its speed in the first inning, when it took five bases on wild pitches and steals, Campbell showed off its power in the second. Kahaloa, Dewayne Sprinkel and Okinaka all blistered singles, with Okinaka’s hit driving in a run. Then Rayven Kahana, the most powerful hitter in Campbell’s stout lineup, stepped to the plate. Kahana drilled a 1-1 pitch deep over the center fielder’s head and to the fence, and rumbled around the bases for a triple and two RBIs for a 5-1 lead.
“He’s our horse,” Pico said. “He’s been swinging the bat well all year, and he did it all last year for us, too. That’s the guy I want, in a big situation, that’s the guy I want at the plate.”
The score stayed that way until the top of the sixth. Hironaka led off the inning with a single to center and Jamesson Madrid followed with a walk. Ramos bunted them over and Hironaka scored when pinch hitter Jensen Kim grounded out to third. Travis Maekawa, another pinch hitter, grounded out to second to end the inning. Mililani was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.
“We are getting to the dance, but we are not doing anything at the dance,” coach Hirayama said. “We just have to keep working and plugging away and execute a little bit better with runners in scoring position and we will be fine.”
The Trojans finished the first round 3-3 and visit Aiea on Friday. Campbell starts the second round at Leilehua the same day, but don’t count that as an automatic win in the wild OIA West. The Mules are 2-4 and lost 3-0 to Campbell to open the season.
Could Pico ever imagine his team going through the first round unbeaten?
“Not in the OIA West, everyone is tough,” Pico said. “You look on down the line and everybody is beating up on everybody and we just got lucky and the ball bounced our way a lot of times. Second round, it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be fun, that’s what you are looking forward to.”
At Campbell
Mililani (3-3) 010 001 0 — 2 6 1
Campbell (6-0) 230 001 x — 6 6 0
Kanoa Hironaka and Jamesson Madrid. Ian Kahaloa, Dorrien Hermosura (7) and Treyzen Patricio. W—Kahaloa. L—Hironaka.
Leading hitters—Mil: Kanoa Wong 1-2, RBI. Camp: Rayven Kahana 2-1, 3B, 2 RBIs, SB.
Waipahu 10, Leilehua 7
Justin Padilla went 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Marauders, who held off a late Mules rally.
At Waipahu
LEILEHUA (2-4) 001 001 5 — 7 9 4
WAIPAHU (4-2) 101 530 X — 10 10 7
Brandon Smithe, Ricky Van Geldan (4), Jordan Kameda (5), Wayne Abear (5) and Jarred Chai. Joshua Maglangit, Justin Kaeka (7), Tyler Enos (7), Dylan Sugimoto (7) and Graysen Fuentes.
W—Maglangit. L—Smithe.
Leading hitters—Lei: Trey Yukumoto 2-5, RBI; Cody Academia 2-5, RBI; Smithe 1-1, RBI; Kameda 1-3, RBI. Waip: Maglangit 1-2, 2 RBIs; Justin Padilla 3-3, 4 RBIs; Fuentes 3-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Matapua Tulafale 3-4.
Pearl City 4, Aiea 2
Tanner Tokunaga struck out nine to lead the Chargers over Na Alii. Pearl City’s Sean Milan went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.
At Pearl City
AIEA (3-3) 001 000 1 — 2 5 1
Pc (3-2) 000 301 X — 4 6 1
Jaryn Nakamoto, Jaycob Alcantra (4), Jansen Kudaishi (7) and catcher not reported. Tanner Tokunaga.
W—Tokunaga. L—Nakamoto.
Leading hitters—Aiea: Daylan Pajimola 2-4, 2b, run; Patrick Villanueva 1-3, 2b, RBI; Jared Uyeda 1-1, 3b, RBI. PC: Sean Milan 2-3, 3b, 2 RBIs.
OIA east
Castle 5, No. 6 Kailua 1
Christian Kapeliela pitched a complete-game six-hitter, with four strikeouts as the Knights remained unbeaten by beating the Surfriders.
At Castle
KAILUA (4-2) 001 000 0 — 1 6 4
CASTLE (5-0) 200 201 x — 5 2 1
Bryce Ah Sam, Matthew Hanano (5), Iokepai Lapela (6), and Dalton Kalama, Daniel Thomas (6). Christian Kapeliela and Dane Kamalu.
W—Kapeliela. L—Ah Sam.
Leading hitters—Kail: Dustin Imanaka 2b, run; Cori Luis-Soares 2-4. Cast: Billy Kerkau 1-2, RBI, run.
Roosevelt 11, Kalaheo 2
Kainalu Pitoy drove in three runs as the Rough Riders rocked the Mustangs with 11 runs in two innings.
At Roosevelt
KALAHEO (0-5) 000 020 0 — 2 7 0
ROOSEVELT (3-3) 740 000 X — 11 11 4
Chase Focht, Matthew Sasaki (2), Jordyn Soares (5) and Brandon Burton. Aaron Emoto, Riki Kobayashi (4), Kainalu Pitoy (5), Jarron Maemori (6) and Jonah Sasahara, Michael Matsuoka (4).
W—Emoto. L—Focht.
Leading hitters—Kalh: Bryan Silva 2-4, Jack Bell 2-4. Roos: Pitoy 3-5, 3b, 3 RBIs; Edison Sakata 3b; Matsuoka 2-3, 2b, 2 runs; Keola Tamanaha 3b, 2 runs; Reece Okura 2-2; Dustin Tsukano 2 runs; Sasahara 2 runs.
Moanalua 6, Kalani 3
Jaraad Salas of Na Menehune struck out four over six innings for the win.
At Kahala Community Park
MOANALUA (3-3) 003 021 0 — 6 12 1
KALANI (1-4) 300 000 0 — 3 3 2
Jaraad Salas, Nicholas Manago (7) and catcher not reported. Dallas Asuncion, Matthew Beall, Trevor Ozaki and catcher not reported.
W—Salas. L—Asuncion.
Leading hitters—Moan: Kristian Yap 3-4, 2b, 2 runs, RBI; Salas 3-4, 3 RBIs; Tyler Uchiyama 2-3. Kaln: Reece Kakugawa 1-3, 2 RBIs.
OIA blue
Waianae 8, Waialua 0
Kekoa Kaluhiokalani Jr. allowed just one hit and struck out six as the Seariders defeated the visiting Bulldogs.
At Waianae
WAIALUA (2-2) 000 000 0 — 0 1 3
WAIANAE (5-0) 300 041 X — 8 8 1
Taleon Lele, Shannon Fisher-Larue (5) and Kebi Dellatan. Kekoa Kaluhiokalani Jr., Tavita Lalau (6), Cleghorn Borge (7) and Wayne Silva.
W—Kaluhiokalani. L—Lele.
Leading hitters—Wain: Sheaven Delima-Fereira 3-4, 2b, 4 RBIs; Brandon Cambra 1-2, 2b; Lalau 1-3, 2b, RBI.
Nanakuli 13, McKinley 3
The Golden Hawks thumped the Tigers with five runs in the seventh inning.
At McKinley
NANAKULI (1-1) 310 211 5 — 13 13 0
McKINLEY (2-2) 210 000 0 — 3 7 2
Nathan Kipi Jr., Brandon Felisi (3) and Trae-Anthony Hansen. Hunter Vincent, Jayziah Williams (4), Landon Rita (7) and Joshua Pearson-Santos.
W—Kipi. L—Vincent.
Leading hitters not reported.
Also
Kahuku 16, Farrington 2
Radford def. Kaimuki, forfeit
