Campbell hammers 3 homers, knocks off Kahuku, 17-1

Campbell's Cydney Curran gets set to field the ball against Kahuku. Stacy Kaneshiro | SL

'EWA BEACH - Campbell racked up 17 hits and scored in every inning to hammer Kahuku, 17-1, in first-round play of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red softball tournament Wednesday at the Sabers' field.

Elisa Favela went the distance, scattering two hits - including a solo home run - in a game called after the top of the fifth inning because of the 10-run differential mercy rule. Kahuku's season ended with the loss.

The Sabers (10-3), eighth in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings, will travel to Kaiser in a quarterfinal 3:30 p.m. Thursday The winner advances to the semifinals and clinches a Division I state tournament berth. The loser falls to the fifth-place bracket. This year, the OIA's sixth-place team will have to play the Big Island's second seed in a play-in berth for the state tournament.

The Red Raiders (4-9), the East's sixth seed, were no match for the three-time defending OIA Red champions, allowing three runs in the first, seven in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth. An inkling it would be a long day for Kahuku came from Campbell's first two batters of the game. Cydney Curran led off with a single, went to second on Sissy Pantastico's sacrifice and both scored on the catcher's throwing error to first that sailed into right field.

Campbell had home runs from Caragh Morris in the first inning and back-to-back homers from Kyra Hoohuli and Sierra Mariano. Hoohuli's was a three-run shot. Mariano also had a two-run triple. Morris and Nashlynn Anguay each had three hits. Favela aided her own cause by batting 2 for 4 with three RBI.

"This is the kind of game where you tell the girls we have to play up to our level," Campbell coach Shag Hermosura said. "(The Red Raiders are) a good disciplined team, but they don't have the pitching we face on the West side. We had to make adjustments, wait longer, be more disciplined at the plate."

One thing for sure is the Sabers will not have it so easy against the Cougars (11-1), the East's second seed. Campbell did beat Kaiser in the Mililani tournament in preseason, Hermorura said, but he is expecting an improved team on Thursday.

"We have to play better defense and hit the opposing team better," Hermosura said.

The Cougars' ace is Crystal Ching-Lake, who is 7-0 with a 2.05 earned run average. She has 32 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings.

Kaiser has a number of .400 or better hitters in its lineup. Seli Aholelei has three homers and 14 RBI.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].