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'EWA BEACH - In a "it's one of those things" kind of game, Leilehua scored on a wild pitch with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge Campbell, 3-2, Saturday to salvage a split of an O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West baseball doubleheader.

The Sabers (1-1) took the opener, 7-2, in the regular-season opener for both teams.

With relief ace Robert Kahana taking the hill for the second consecutive inning with the game tied at 2, Kenan Sadanaga led off with a bunt single toward second, but was forced out at second on Cyrus Ah Quin's grounder to second. Ah Quin stole second and went to third on Aaron Taoy's single to right. With runners at the corners, Taoy went to second on a catcher's indifference before Albert Talaroc walked to load the bases with one out. With the infield and outfield drawn in, Kahana got John Pratt-Baptista called out on strikes for the second out.

Larry Paas took a first-pitch strike, but Kahana's second offering was in the dirt and skipped past catcher Kaeo Kapana, scoring Ah Quin with the winning run from third.

"We got lucky," Leilehua coach Lane Watanuki said. "Robert usually doesn't throw away balls like that. If Po'o (Ka'alekahi) was catching (he might have blocked the pitch), but he was in the outfield. We got lucky. That happens in baseball."

Ironically, a "that happens" moment affected the Mules in the inning before.

Larry Paas led off with a triple against Brannon Okinaka, putting the winning run at third with no out for the Mules. Kahana came in and walked Kaopua, who then took second on catcher's indifference. But Kahana struck out Guy Phillips for the first out, bringing up Aaron Craig Higa. The Mules called for a suicide squeeze, but Higa bunted through and missed and the Sabers got the lead runner out in a rundown between third and home. Kahana struck out Higa to end the inning.

"He's one of our better athletes," Watanuki said of Higa. "It's one of those things. We just didn't execute."

The wild pitch was one of those things that happens to even the best. Kahana, who struck out six in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in the opener to preserve the win for starter Jaris Flora, who allowed two runs (one earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Kahana shook off a fastball called from the bench, throwing a curve the bounced to the plate and skidded past catcher Kaeo Kapana.

"He's allowed to shake off (signs)," Campbell coach Rory Pico said. "He's real comfortable with all his pitches. He feels that he can throw it at any time. He's a competitor. He was competing. It was one of those things. We trust our catchers. If they're going to throw it in the dirt, they're going to block it."

It's not uncommon for coaches to give certain players the latitude to shake off pitches or have the green light to steal or swing away on certain counts. Kahana, who has signed with Kansas, is considered a pro prospect. One scout clocked two of his fastballs at 90 mph in the first game.

Kapana started the opener at third base and Ka'alekahi was the catcher in that game. But with Ka'alekahi starting on the mound in the second game, the versatile Kapana started behind the plate. Kapana caught some last year and did so during the summer, Pico said.

Paas pitched two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win for the Mules. Starter Sadanaga allowed two runs, four hits and five walks with five strikeouts in six innings.

The Mules took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a dropped fly that should've been the third out with runners at the corners and later on a balk. The runs were unearned against Ka'alekahi, who pitched four innings. Brannon Okinaka added two scoreless innings before giving way to Kahana after Paas' triple in the seventh.

The Sabers tied the game with an RBI single by Ka'alekahi in the fifth and an RBI single from Kapana in the sixth against Sadanaga.

In the opener, the Sabers cashed in on two Mules' errors that led to five unearned teams runs. (Statistically, the run Joshua Lorenzo allowed is earned against him because the succeeding pitcher does not inherit the residual effects of an error incurred from the previous pitcher.)

The Sabers scored all their runs in the first three innings. Rayven Kahana and Ka'alekahi each had two-run singles.

The Mules scored their only runs in the fourth when Sadanaga doubled and scored when Ah Quin reached when the umpire ruled that right fielder Sau Momoe didn't hold on to a fly that he dove for and was ruled an error. A sacrifice fly by Pratt-Baptista scored the other run.