EWA BEACH - Leilehua squeezed its way past No. 2 Campbell, 3-1, Wednesday in Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division baseball at the Sabers' field.

The Mules (4-6) inched a bit closer to securing a spot in the OIA Division I tournament. The Sabers (8-2) will need a win against Pearl City (5-3) next Wednesday to clinch at least a second seed, which will give them a first-round bye in the tournament. The top six teams from each division qualifies for the 12-team OIA tournament.

"Momentum's in our favor now," Leilehua pitcher Trayson Kubo said. "We beat one of the tops teams. It feels great right now."

Leilehua's pitchers, despite combining for seven walks allowed, combined on a three-hitter against the Sabers, who stranded six runners in scoring position.

Teagan Eckstrom started for the Mules, lasting 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run, two hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Winning pitcher Ricky Tagami added 2/3 of an inning before walking the Sabers' eighth an ninth hitters before Kubo put out the flames with three scoreless innings to earn the save.

"I had to bear down, have faith in myself and what I had," Kubo said. "Hopefully, they'll put the ball in play right to where our defense is and just hope for the best."

Eckstrom's first start of the season was enough to keep the Mules in the game.

"He got hurt in a preseason tournament," Leilehua coach Lane Watanuki said. "He finally got cleared last week. That was big because now - we still haven't qualified for the playoffs - at least he was able to get some work in, knock off some of the rust."

Losing pitcher Dorrien Villanueva-Hermosura went five innings, allowing three runs, two unearned, three hits and a walk, while striking out six. Keola Himan added two scoreless innings of relief.

All of the game's scoring occurred in the third inning.

Leilehua's Jason Hook led off with a single and was lifted for courtesy runner Jansen Dangaran, who went to second on Kawai Phifer's sacrifice and then to third on Nainoa Paragoso's single to left. With runners at the corners and one out, Christian Ontai squeezed home Dangaran, but Villanueva, who fielded the bunt, threw errantly to first, allowing Paragoso to score. Right fielder Himan's error allowed Ontai to reach third. Trey Yukumoto's squeeze scored Ontai to increase Leilehua's lead to 3-0 before Kebi Dellaton flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sabers scored their only run in the bottom of the third in an inning they could have done more damage. Bula Sprinkel tripled to left-center with one out. Jobe Ibana was hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count and stole second. Villanueva's squeeze scored Sprinkel, but, Ecstrom, instead of throwing to first, threw to third and caught Ibana in a rundown for the second out. Courtesy runner Kainoa Ganancial stole second, but Eckstrom struck out Ian Kahaloa for the second time to end the inning.

"That's our game," Watanuki said of the squeeze plays. "We don't hit the ball 300 feet like Campbell. They bang; we just needed to play the small ball."

Campbell had its opportunities to score. It stranded a runner on third with less than two out in the first. It had second and third with no out before having a runner doubled off first on a fly out. It had second and third with one out in the fifth, but Ibana lined out to the pitcher for the second out and Villanueva was intentionally walked and pinch hitter Roy Clemons struck out.

Clemons had pinch hit for cleanup hitter Kahaloa, who struck out twice in his previous at-bats on three pitches each. Kahaloa entered the game hitting .708.

"He said he wasn't seeing the ball," Campbell coach Rory Pico said of Kahaloa, who was hitless for the first time this season.

Kahaloa will start for Campbell against Pearl City next Wednesday. It also means he will not pitch against Mililani two days later in the televised regular-season finale.