Sabers claw way into semifinals, while others cruise in

Greg Yamamoto | SL

MANOA - Campbell sent 11 batters to the plate in an eight-run fifth inning to rally from a 6-3 deficit to oust third-seeded Baldwin, 12-10, to advance to the semifinals of the DataHouse Division I state softball tournament Wednesday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Sabers, the Oahu Interscholasitc Association's fifth-place team and likely the lowest tournament seed, will make their 13th semifinal appearance under coah Shag Hermosura when they take on second-seeded Maryknoll, making its third semiifinal, under coach John Uekawa, with its 10-1 win against Kaiser in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

The Saber (13-2) and Spartans (13-4) will play at 4:30 p.m.

The Bears (14-1), the Maui Interscholastic League champion, stormed out to a 5-2 lead after two innings against Campbell freshman starting pitcher Lily Perreira, who lasted four innings, allowing six runs. Baldwin starter Hope Bataluyan-Cadorna was also pulled after four despite holding the lead. The Bears brought in Shaileah Brown, who walked all four batters she faced, including walking Nanea Pantastico to force home a run. Bataluyan-Cadorna returned to the circle, but the Sabers found their strokes. Dalexy Sanchez's two-run double tied the game at 6; pinch hitter Skylynne Gonzalez's two-run triple put Campbell ahead 8-6. Later in the frame, Kaienna Fuentes-Arellaho hammered a two-run home run to cap the inning.

"It felt good," said Fuentes-Arellano. "I was a little nervous. I'm not going to lie because I had two (runs allowed) on me. Coach always tells us to just battle."

Fuentes-Arellano labored in the circle in relief of Perreira, allowing four runs, but battled out of self-induced jams, including the seventh with the tying runs on base, but she struck out Kaslyn Kahoohalahala-Watanabe to end the game with a fastball away to pick up the win.

First baseman Sophie Alo hit the ball hard in four at-bats (she was intentionally walked once). She drilled a two-run home run in the first inning that gave the Sabers a temporary 2-0 lead. She also had to line drive singles to center. She also smoked a liner to left but was snagged by Kahoohalahala-Watanabe, who doubled off the runner at second.

Her homer was halfway up the screen, reminiscent of her sister Jocelyn, who had her share of tape-measure shots in past state tournaments.

Alo described the game as an "adrenaline rush."

"You get down, you get back up," Alo said. "It's just a matter of how much grit you have and how you're going to come back and be better."

In a contest on the opposite spectrum, Shezyzhelle Iokia drove in five runs with a two-run double and three-run homer to eliminate Kaiser, 11-1, in five innings because of the 10-run differential rule.

Kasi Cruz pitched a one-hitter, an RBI triple by Sadie Tanabe. Cruz aided her cause with a two-run homer.

Meanwhile, in an earlier quarterfinal, Punahou dispatched fourth-seeded Hilo, 10-0 in another mercy-rule ending. Sydney Capello's two-run triple with two out in the sixth finished the game.

But it was shortstop Taryn Ho, who ignited the Buffanblu (14-3) with her wheels. With one out in the third, she singled to left, stole second and third, and scored on Austen Kinney's single. The theft of third was a collaboration with Lexi Hinahara, who showed bunt, to draw in the third baseman in; Ho was able beat the shortstop trying to cover third.

She also hit a two-run home run - her second round-tripper of the tournament - in a three-run fourth to increase Punaho's lead.

"It felt great because we were scraping for runs at the time," Ho explained.

Paige Brunn pitched a six-inning one-hitter for the win.

Punahou is going to its fifth semifinal under coach David Eldredge.

In the final quarterfinal of the night, top-seeded and defending champion Mililani (13-1) got a four-hit, complete-game outing from reigning All-Hawaii pitcher Hinano Bautista. Bautista had great support from her defense, which fielded everything hit hard.

Center fielder Makanalei Watkins-Villegas had the best vantage point to see her teammates support Bautista.

"It's very exciting. Even Kamryn (Aoki, the second baseman) jumping up like two feet was very exciting," Watkins-Villegas said with a chuckle.

She was referring to when the 5-foot-2 Aoki timed her leap to rob Grilho-Armitage of. a hit in the second inning. Aoki also vacuumed five grounders from all angles, going left or right, and still shifting her feet to make strong throws to first.

The Trojans have another ILH foe in Punahou in the 7 p.m. semifinal.

Notes: The four semifinalists account for the past for state titles: Mililani (2024), Campbell (2023) and Maryknoll (2022).

Teams' records in championship bracket (elimination games): Mililani 48-37; Campbell 37-17; Punahou 24-16; Maryknoll 8-7.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].