Campbell pitcher Summer Palipti throws a pitch to the plate against Waianae. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Waianae's Rae Diorec throws a pitch against Campbell. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Campbell's Caragh Morris connects with a pitch against Waianae. Sylvia Lee | SL

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WAIPIO - With a relatively young team on the field, Campbell's second-year coach Shag Hermosura wanted to see his seniors take a leadership role. The results showed Saturday night.

Freshmen accounted for four runs scored and three RBI to support senior pitcher Summer Palipti' s complete game and the Sabers beat Wai'anae, 5-0, in the nightcap of an OC 16 televised doubleheader at Patsy Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park. Punahou beat Saint Francis, 4-2, in the opener.

The game was the start of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West's second round; the Sabers improved to 4-3, while the Seariders, who figured to be a contender, dropped to 1-6. The Sabers also beat the Seariders, 8-7, in the first round.

Palipti allowed three hits and three walks, while striking out three. Sprinkled with four errors behind her, Palipti was able to escape harm by stranding runners in scoring position in four innings.

"It was kind of frustrating, but I had to calm down," Palipti said.

But most of her run support came from the first-year varsity players, four of whom are starters. Caragh Morris was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and hit a solo home run; Titania Akiona-Pasion was 1 for 3 with an RBI and scored after stealing a second base; Chardonay Pantastico was 1 for 3 with an RBI triple; and Cydney Curran was 2 of 3 with a stolen base.

"The seniors' job is to give the underclassmen a lot of confidence, let them know that they can play," Hermosura said. "The leadership from the upperclassmen has been at practice."

Palipti, who was OC 16's Player of the Game, always seems to shine in televised games dating to last season. But she used that experience to keep the younger players from getting too wound up.

"I tell (the freshmen) before the game, 'Don't be scared. Just play like it's a regular game,'" she said.

The game began as a pitchers' duel between Palipti and Waianae's Rae Diorec. But Diorec apparently started running out of gas, as the Sabers scored three in the top of the seventh on three consecutive hard hits - Jessica Arata's RBI double, Pantastico's RBI triple and Tiana Rosario's RBI single - all liners to left field.

Diorec gave up five runs, nine hits and two walks with a strikeout in seven innings pitched for Waianae.

The Sabers were 3-3 after the first round of play and not the kind of start the two-time defending OIA Red champions were expecting.

"We have to put the first half of the season behind us," Palipti said. "What's done is done and just have to look ahead. And we're playing for Kawehi, too."

Palipti was referring to Kawehi Kupukaa, a sophomore JV softball player who died in November in a car accident near Campbell.