Execution and small ball can be just as important as the long ball.
Fortunately for the No. 7-ranked Campbell baseball team, it can do both.
Senior Ridge Choy broke a scoreless tie with a solo homer to left in the fourth inning and the Sabers stormed back from a rare deficit with four runs in the seventh to beat host Mililani 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon.
Campbell (8-0) entered an inning trailing for just the fourth time all season after the Trojans (5-3) scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to go ahead 2-1.
Keyed by Shaun-Lee Saito’s eight-pitch walk after fouling off two tough pitches to lead off the seventh, the Sabers put the pressure on Mililani’s defense with tough at-bats and aggressive base running to stay undefeated and move one win away from clinching the top seed out of the West in the OIA playoffs.
“We’ve been very fortunate this year,” Campbell coach Wayne Nagamine said. “We battle and the kids are not going to give up but we’ve been able to capitalize (in situations).”
Mililani opened the door for the Sabers to come from behind with a throwing error, but Campbell executed every opportunity it got in the seventh.
Two walks sandwiched around a bunt that the lead runner Saito beat out at second base for a fielder’s choice to load the bases for Campbell.
The one error in the inning allowed the Sabers to take the lead, but they added much-needed insurance runs when Xavier Streadbeck hit a grounder behind the runner to score one run and Choy followed with a sacrifice fly to right to make it a 5-2 game.
“Just quality at-bats were key to staying in the game all the way through,” Choy said. “When we are behind we come together as one and make things happen. Our guys execute well and we just play ball.”
Ethan Murakoshi and Cal Hawes singled home runs in the bottom of the sixth for the Trojans, who forced Campbell to use multiple pitchers in the bottom of the seventh.
Ethan Bagasol and Malosi Mataala-Alferos worked back-to-back walks with one out to force Campbell to bring in Ismael Diaz, who had given up one run in three appearances coming in.
Diaz struck out Brayden Suehisa, whose double to led off the sixth got Mililani going, for the second out.
Murakoshi kept the game alive with his second hit of the game to put the tying run on first, but Diaz got a swinging strikeout on a high fastball to end it.
Both starting pitchers were effective with Campbell’s Hunter Lindsey allowing two runs on seven hits and Mililani’s Skye Hyun allowing one run on four hits.
Campbell’s Carson Eliptico-Quinata and Dayton Lorenzo singled to lead off the third inning but Hyun worked his way out of it with help from left fielder Kai Hirayama, who threw out Eliptico-Quinata trying to get to third on a base hit.
Choy connected for his first home run of the season to lead off the fourth and Campbell put two more runners on base before Hyun retired eight of the final nine batters he faced to keep Mililani in it.
“He was staying low in the zone and pitched a pretty good game,” Choy said. “I think, again, we just executed well.”
At Mililani H.S. field
No. 7 Campbell 5, Mililani 2
WP—Hunter Lindsey. LP—Evan Komatsu. SV—Ismael Diaz.
Leading hitters—Camp: Ridge Choy HR, 2 RBIs. Mil: Brayden Suehisa 2b; Ethan Murakoshi 2-4, run, RBI; Cal Hawes 2-3, RBI.
