Small ball is yielding big results for the Lady Sabers of Campbell.

Nadia Delzer scattered eight hits and struck out four without issuing a walk as No. 1 Campbell outlasted No. 7 Waianae 5-1 on a dusty, hot Thursday afternoon at the Sabers’ field.

Campbell improved to 9-0 in the gritty Oahu Interscholastic Association West. With three regular-season games remaining, the Sabers have clinched a tie for first place. Leilehua (7-3) and Waianae (6-3) are still capable of edging into a possible season-ending tie at the top. With another win, however, the Sabers can seal first place and an automatic first-round bye in the playoffs.

Delzer was on point from the start, hitting her spots and tempting the visitors with well-placed fastballs and curves just inches off the outer edge of home plate.

“We told ourselves we had to hit the ball in the ground, hit our spots when we pitch and make sure that we do everything correct,” the senior ace said.

Delzer, now 5-0 in league play, rarely gave the powerful Seariders a chance to square up on anything on the inner half of the plate.

“Nadia hit her spots well today. She was sick earlier (in the week), but she regrouped and put herself in shape. We worked on hitting spots, changing speeds, and today she threw a good game,” Campbell coach Michael “Shag” Hermosura said.

Seaerra Fuentes-Arellano led Campbell at the plate with a 3-for-3 day. The Sabers finished with 10 base hits against Waianae’s crafty freshman, Mya Keliiwaiwai‘ole.

“She was effective on her rise ball,” Hermosura said of the previous matchup on March 3. “We learned to stay away from the high pitch. The rise ball is a disease pitch that players go after all the time, and that gets you in trouble.”

Keliiwaiwai‘ole went six innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits. She fanned one Saber, walked another and hit three batters.

“It’s an emotional game for us. Two losses in a row,” Seariders coach Robert Kalaola said. “We know what we have to work on tomorrow at practice. We know what it takes to win. We’ve just got to get it done.”

In the top of the first inning, Xailey Kamealoha led off with a triple and scored on Kailah Gates-Coyaso’s safety squeeze two pitches later to give Waianae the lead.

Campbell answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Fuentes-Arellano and Dyllan Sanay-Shiraishi singled. With runners at the corners and one out, Caisha Nunes’ opposite-field single plated Fuentes-Arellano to tie the game.

Jayda Favela then singled to center, scoring Sanay-Shiraishi for a 2-1 lead.

In the second frame, Michaela Fonoti reached base when her line drive to Tyra Lynn Pai at shortstop was dropped. After Jayden Pacheco and Fuentes-Arellano singled to load the bases, Keliiwaiwai‘ole issued a two-out walk to Sanay-Shiraishi, forcing Pacheco home.

Campbell added two insurance runs in the sixth. Hoku Pacheco was hit by a pitch with one out and Fuentes-Arellano singled. Aleisa Ranches followed with a double to deep center, scoring Pacheco. After Fuentes-Arellano was tagged out at third on a missed squeeze, Sanay-Shiraishi singled to right, bringing Ranches home for a four-run Sabers cushion.

Campbell hosts Pearl City on Friday in its senior game. Waianae will meet Mililani (5-4) on Saturday night at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.