Dorrien Villanueva-Hermosura pitched six solid innings of two-hit ball and drove in three runs to lead the Sabers over Kalani. Steve Erler | Special to SL

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EWA BEACH - Apparently, No. 1 Campbell is holding all the aces this postseason.

Dorrien Villanueva-Hermosura pitched six solid innings of two-hit ball and drove in three runs to lead the Sabers over Kalani, 8-0, Thursday in a quarterfinal of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I tournament at Campbell.

The Sabers (11-2), the West's top seed, will meet East second seed Kaiser (9-4), 6:30 p.m. Friday in one semifinal at the Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park. East top seed Kailua will play West second seed Mililani in the 3:30 p.m. semifinal. The four semifinalists have secured Division I state berths.

Kalani (8-6) will visit Pearl City (8-6) and Moanalua (8-6) will host Leilehua (6-7-1) in fifth-place semifinals, 3 p.m. Friday. The winners will play for fifth place on Saturday and will secure the OIA"s fifth and sixth Division I state berths. The losers will be done for the season.

The rule of thumb is to use the ace - in Campbell's case, Ian Kahaloa (3-0, 0.00 ERA) - in the opener of a tournament. But having Villanueva (3-1, 0.33 ERA), an All-Hawaii selection last season, leaves little drop off. The left-handed Villanueva, who retired 15 Falcons in a row at one juncture, allowed a walk and struck out seven. Sophomore Dylan Florentin pitched the seventh, allowing a hit and a walk, but was saved by an extraordinary diving catch in the right-center alley by Bula Sprinkel. A runner on second tagged up to take third, but was ruled out on appeal for leaving the base too early. Florentin struck out the last batter to end the game and preserve Campbell's eighth shutout of the season.

"We have three guys who can throw strikes, they can compete," Campbell coach Rory Pico said. "They'll give us a chance in any game. It was good. (Villanueva) threw well today. He kept them off-balanced. He threw enough strikes to keep them off the scoreboard."

The other pitcher available to start is Kila Kapihe (2-1, 2.06 ERA). It will be either Kapihe or Kahaloa in Friday's semifinal or Saturday's championship or third-place game. Pick your poison.

Villanueva was pulled at 86 pitches.

"There's pitching limitations," Pico said. "Maybe not tomorrow, but any outs we can save his arm (for possibly Saturday) would benefit us."

The Falcons knew they weren't going to see Kahaloa, but…

"Any of the three guys were going to be tough for us," Kalani coach Shannon Hirai said.

Villanueva got off to an inauspicious start. Justin ibara led off the game with a single. Jarryn Wee sacrificed Ibara over to second, but reached himself when Villanueva misplayed the bunt. But Villanueva struck out the next batter and Reece Kakugawa flied out to center with the runners trying to advance. Sprinkle's throw to third was late, but the Sabers nailed  Wee trying to second for the inning-ending double play.

From there, Villanueva retired the side in order the next four innings.

"I was spotting my fastball and changeup," Villanueva said.

Villanuevaa helped his cause at the plate, too, batting 2 for 4 with an RBI triple, RBI double and RBI fielder's choice when he reached on an error. He hit one of three triples by the Sabers. Jobe Ferdinand Ibana (2 for 4) and Tryzen Patricio (1 for 3) also hit triples. Keola Himan added a two-run single and Kahaloa, the DH, had an RBI single.

"I just had to be aggressive," Villanueva said. "The coaches told me to think positive at the plate and just be myself."

That first inning was about as close the Falcons got to threatening Villanueva.

"We didn't execute," Hirai said. "Might have been a different story."

Campbell didn't waste time getting on the board. After escaping the top of the first-inning jam, the Sabers took a 1-0 lead. Sprinkel reached on a bunt single between first and second, took second on a wild pitch and went to third on Ibana's single. After Ibana stole second, Kahaloa grounded out to third, as the runners held. Villanueva then reached on an error by shortstop Wee, but Kalani starter Duke Fujii (four-plus inning, seven runs, six hits) retired the next two batters to minimize the damage.

The Sabers added two in the second on Patricio's RBI triple. His courtesy runner Kekahi Reiny-Aloy scored when shortstop Wee's throw to home was wild before Sprinkel grounded out to end the inning.

Campbell secured its lead with a four-run fifth on Kahaloa's RBI single, Villanueva's RBI triple and Himan's two-run single. For good measure, the Sabers scored a run in the sixth on Villanueva's run-scoring double.