The best OIA baseball team in the regular season stayed that way through the playoffs.
Campbell, the one OIA team to hold down a spot in the Star-Advertiser Top 10 for most of the season, avoided the drama of Thursday’s semifinal win in extra innings over Mililani with a 10-3 victory over Leilehua to capture the OIA Division I championship Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
Leilehua (9-6) simply didn’t have the pitching depth to match Campbell (13-2), which rode the arms of Morgan Lavin, Ismael Diaz and Kalaeloa Kalua to win its first league title since 2015 with its third win in four days.
“It’s one of the goals that they set in the beginning of the season and these kids sacrificed a lot,” Campbell coach Wayne Nagamine said.
The Sabers scored their runs on eight hits and took advantage of 10 walks to earn the league’s seeded berth in next week’s state tournament.
“For everything we do, it’s a whole team,” Nagamine said. “We feel like we’ve got depth at positions and hitting but we just try to see who shows up and we play them. Hopefully the switch stays on and nobody wants to save electricity and we keep rolling.”
Hunter Lindsey singled, scored twice and drove in three runs and all nine position starters either scored or drove in a run for Campbell.
A 43-minute first inning ended with Campbell doubling up the Mules 4-2 with the aid of five walks issued by Leilehua.
The Mules doubled their run total from a 1-0 win in the semifinals over Kailua three batters into the game. Lowen Owan worked a six-pitch walk to lead off and Bryden Takayama, who threw a five-hit shutout against the Surfriders, pulled a double to right-center to put runners on second and third.
Catcher Zane Walter, who caught the final out of the game against Kailua on a throw home from left field, lifted a fly ball inside the right-field line for a two-run double to give the Mules a 2-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived as five of the first six Sabers to bat reached on a walk. Lindsey worked an impressive 10-pitch free pass and Slade Sarono worked another bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
The only hit of the inning came when Shaun-Lee Saito’s hard-hit grounder slipped just past the glove of Titan Pasco at second base to score two more runs to make it 4-2.
“Just trust the hands. Let the hands go and catch barrel on the ball and keep fouling it off,” Lindsey said of his two walks. “This is surreal. It’s been a long time since Campbell (won) the OIA playoffs.”
Lavin settled down after allowing the first three batters to reach base and gave up five hits in 31⁄3 innings.
Diaz allowed one run without giving up a hit in 2 2/3 innings and Kalua finished out the game recording the last three outs.
Leilehua stranded runners at third in consecutive innings before the Sabers took advantage of three more walks in the bottom of the fourth to lead 7-2.
Two errors after Kayne Carlos stole second allowed him to score on the same play and Ridge Choy singled in a run with a blooper to center to make it 6-2.
Lindsey drew his second bases-loaded walk of the game to make it a five-run lead.
The Sabers tacked on three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Takayama doubled in his first two plate appearances to lead Leilehua, which added a run in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch.
The Mules will make their second state-tournament appearance since 2013 in the opening round beginning Tuesday.
“We were feeling good coming into tonight. We were excited and the boys were ready,” Leilehua coach Brandon Kon said. “It’s an awesome thing to get to the OIA championship game. I think it’s something to be happy about and of course we wish we could have come out on top tonight.”
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OIA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT
Championship
Campbell 10, Leilehua 3
W—Ismael Diaz. L—Pono Arindain.
Leading hitters—Leil: Bryden Takayama 2-4, run; Zane Winter 2 RBI. Camp: Ridge Choy 2 runs, RBI; Shaveh Sarono 2 runs; Hunter Lindsey 2 runs, 3 RBI; Shaun-Lee Saito 2 RBI; Kayne Carlos 3-4, run, RBI
Third place
Mililani 7, Kailua 0
W—Kole Maeda. L—Titan Kauhi.
Leading hitters—Mil: Cyler Wicklund 2 runs; Ethan Murakoshi 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Kai Hirayama 2-3.
