Pearl City gets steal and score in 8th to edge No. 1 Campbell

With the OIA West lead hanging in the balance, Maiki Au made an independent decision.

With one out in the top of the eighth inning, the junior courtesy runner stole third base and raced home when the ball rolled away, giving No. 3 Pearl City all it needed in a 1-0 upset of No. 1 Campbell on Tuesday afternoon in sunny Ewa Beach.

The win boosted Pearl City to 8-2 in OIA West play, dropping two-time defending state champion Campbell to 8-2. This creates a three-way tie for the lead with another powerhouse, Mililani (8-2).

Chargers ace Tyanna “Peanut Butter” Kaaialii hurled all eight innings, allowing just three hits, striking out nine, walking five — four were to Sabers slugger Jocelyn Alo — and hitting two batters. The senior also had two of her team’s three hits against Campbell’s Dani Cervantes.

The hard-luck losing pitcher permitted three hits, struck out six, walked none and hit one batter in eight innings. The lone run was unearned.

“We’ll take it one game at a time,” Pearl City coach Chad Obara said. “Peanut Butter was absolutely poised. She got out of some sticky situations. Our defense helped and PB helped by making some great pitches.”

The sudden decision by Au came a moment after pitcher Kaaialii led off the inning with a single to left. In the midst of a scoreless, classic pitchers’ duel between Kaaialii and Cervantes, it still didn’t seem likely that a lot would happen. After Cheyne Obara’s sacrifice bunt pushed the courtesy runner, Au, to second base, the count was 1-1 on Taylor Shigeta when third-base coach Kyle Shimabukuro called for the steal attempt.

At that point, only one other batter had managed a hit off Cervantes: Shigeta. But she is also a right-handed hitter, and with the next pitch, Au took off with Shigeta squaring up to bunt. With Campbell’s infield in rotation, catcher Alo hesitated for a split-second as shortstop Caisha Nunes raced to cover third base. The throw was on target, but Nunes had to slide along with Au to catch the ball.

Au was safely into third when the ball squirted out of the grasp of Nunes.

“I saw it come in late,” Au said. “Then I saw the ball and the position she was in. I had to go all out. I didn’t want to let my team down.”

She sprinted home as Nunes hustled to pick up the ball. Her throw home was on-line, but Au slid home under the tag for the game’s only run.

None of it surprised Obara.

“The way (Cervantes) was throwing, you’ve got to try something,” he said.

After the game, the Campbell ace had already wiped away her tears by the time parents set up for a senior-day celebration.

“Everyone has to keep working. We haven’t peaked yet,” the senior said. “I don’t feel like anything should be given, but we work so hard. That’s why it’s so emotional.”

The Sabers left eight runners on base despite having only three hits off Kaaialii, who didn’t offer a truly hittable pitch to Alo all game. Pearl City left just three runners on base.

Batting at the top of the lineup, Alo led off the bottom of the first with her first walk, but was stranded at second.

In the second frame, Chloe Domingo was hit by pitch and Malia Kaakimaka bunted for a single, but they were stranded at third and second when Kaaialii fanned Nikki Corla on a screwball.

In the third, Alo walked again on four pitches and Trinity Favela singled. However, with one out and the runners at third and second, Zoe Recolan’s squeeze bunt attempt missed, and Alo was chased down near third base. Kaaialii then went to the screwball again to whiff Recolan for the third out.

Pearl City managed to get one baserunner on through the first four innings. In the top of the fifth, Kaaialii singled to left, Maiki Au took her place, went to second on a sac bunt by Cheyne Obara, and then stole third base. Cervantes then got Taylor Au to ground out for the third out.

In the bottom of the fifth, Zoe Streadbeck was hit by a pitch and Alo walked for a third time, but Favela’s bunt attempt turned into a pop-up, and Favela was called for interference as first baseman Bryanna Passi tried to throw to first base.

In the bottom of the seventh, Nikki Corla led off with an infield single and Alo walked for a fourth time. Favela’s sac bunt attempt was scooped up by the first baseman, Passi, who rifled a throw to third baseman Kylie Tasaki to force out Corla.

Kaaialii then got Curran to fly out and Recolan to ground out, ending the game.

Cervantes and Kaaialii gained momentum in the late innings, and it seemed possible that the game could go extra, extra long. Instead, it ended after eight frames in a mere 1 hour and 57 minutes.

“She stole that base at the right time. They executed to get their runner in position,” Campbell coach Michael “Shag” Hermosura said. “The one with the last error usually loses.”

ILH SOFTBALL

St. Francis 6, Pac-Five 5
at Ala Wai Field

>> Pac-Five (2-9) 102 001 1 — 5 8 1
>> St. Francis (6-4) 000 510 x — 6 8 0

Megan Yoshioka, Kiara Peterson (5) Kaiulani Harrington (6) and Mikayla Chun. Kailee Mahelona, Sierrah Kupihea (5) and Kaena Keliinoi. W — Mahelona. L — Yoshioka.

Leading hitters — P5: Noelle Nakamura 2-4, 2 runs; Kalyn Kershner 2-3, 2 runs; Peterson 2 RBIs. StF: Keliinoi 2 RBIs; Joerdan Lovell 2-3; Jordyn Lono 2-3.

OIA EAST SOFTBALL

Moanalua 8, Kaiser 2
at Moanalua

>> Kaiser 002 000 0 — 2 6 1
>> Moanalua 004 004 x — 8 11 2

Primrose Aholelei and Nala Dombrowski. Mari Kimoto, Jada Young (7) and Raven Rosa-Lasco. W — Kimoto. L — Aholelei. SYoung

Leading hitters — Kais: Kayla Russell 2-4; Lauryn Wee 2-3. Moa: Summer Kamioka 3-4, 2 runs; Kylie Kawelo 3-4; Hilari Ballenti 2-3, 2 RBI.

OIA WEST SOFTBALL

No. 3 Pearl City 1, No. 1 Campbell 0
at Campbell

>> Pearl City (8-2) 000 000 01 — 1 3 0
>> Campbell (8-2) 000 000 00 — 0 3 1

Tyanna Kaaialii and Hailey-Alexis Yamaguchi. Dani Cervantes and Jocelyn Alo. W — Kaaialii. L — Cervantes.

Leading hitters — PC: Kaaialii 2-3, run. Camp: Favela 1-3, sacrifice; Malia Kaakimaka 1-2, walk.

Waianae 7, Kapolei 3
at Kapolei

>> Waianae (1-10) 300 010 3 — 7 8 2
>> Kapolei (3-9) 102 000 0 — 3 7 4

Hepua Tambaoan and Tyra Pai. Sadie Kapaku-You, Tatum Guzman (7) and Lili Kaimi. W — Tambaoan. L — Kapaku-You.

Leading hitters — Wain: Kayla Hensley 2-3, 2 runs; Tambaoan 2-4. Kap: Kapaku-You 2-3, 2 RBI; Dallas Pollard-Brown 2-3.