The Campbell Sabers got clutch hits, ran the bases with aggression and saw their sophomore ace, Chloe Sales, come up huge on championship night.
Sales scattered nine hits and walked just one batter as the three-time defending state champions outlasted Roosevelt 6-3 to capture the OIA softball crown on Saturday night at Tiger Softball Stadium.
“I knew she was laboring, she had one or two missed spots. But she pulled through,” Campbell coach Michael Hermosura said of Sales. “Knowing that she’s been throwing all this time, she’s been the workhorse.”
No. 1 ranked Campbell (12-3) will have a first-round bye at the state tourney in two weeks.
“Roosevelt is a great team,” Hermosura added.
Roosevelt is 13-2 entering states. Ace Jaeda Cabunoc allowed four earned runs, eight hits, fanned two and walked four.
The Sabers were busy on the base paths in the bottom of the first with three steals, taking advantage of a muffed ground ball for an unearned run.
Alesia Ranches walked with one out, stole second base, and Anastasia Iosia walked. The runners advanced on a double steal, and Ranches came home on a sacrifice fly by Chloe Domingo.
Third baseman Kanilehua Pitoy then dropped a grounder by Dyllan Sanay-Shiraishi, permitting Iosia to score from third.
Each team stranded runners at second and third base in the second inning.
In the third, another Roosevelt error led to an unearned run. Sanay-Shiraishi singled with one out and Zoie Recolan reached on an error by second baseman Kylie Kawamura. Sanay-Shiraishi then scored on a groundout by Jaelyn Myers, and Campbell led 3-0.
Roosevelt got on the scoreboard in the fifth. Maya Nakamura reached base on an error by shortstop Caisha Nunes, then scored on a double down the left-field line by Kawamura.
Tiani Sniffen singled to left, but Kawamura was thrown out at home plate by Myers.
Momentum switched back to the Sabers when Ranches led off the bottom of the fifth with a towering homer to center. With one out, Domingo and Sanay-Shiraishi singled and Recolan walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Liana Nagamine stroked a 1-2 pitch to center for a single, scoring two runs for a 6-1 Sabers lead.
Sales allowed one run on four hits through five innings. Roosevelt plated two runs in the top of the sixth. Jadalee Takara’s bloop single behind third base with the bases loaded brought Mika Emoto home. Pitoy scored from third on a fielder’s choice grounder by Hoku Ching, but the Rough Riders left the bases loaded and trailed 6-3.
In the top of the seventh, Sniffen singled with one out, but Sales retired Foster on fly out and Emoto on a force out to end the contest.
Roosevelt left eight runners on base.
