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Sharae Esprecion hit a go-ahead grand slam, but Taylor Rosa-Ramon had the plate appearance to remember and top-seeded Campbell rallied by cross-plain rival and nemesis Kapolei, 8-6, Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the DataHouse Division I state softball tournament.

The defending state champion Sabers will play Castle in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Thursday in a rematch of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red tournament semifinal won by Campbell, 7-6, on April 21.

"It was awesome," Campbell coach David Perreira said of the 5-foot-2 Esprecion's homer to dead center. "I couldn't believe it. I thought the ball was going to die the way the wind was blowing. It was swirling all day. It kind of hung up there for a while and when it went out, I jumped."

The grand slam brought a roar by Campbell supporters at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium that could be heard at Les Murakami Stadium, where the state baseball tournament opened Wednesday.

"I didn't want to strike out and let our team down," said Esprecion, who had half of Campbell's four hits. "I had to clutch-up and I did it."

Esprecion's slam was set up by a remarkable plate appearance by Rosa-Ramon, who came in to pinch hit for Kayce Konohia with two out in the sixth. At that juncture, Kapolei starting pitcher Winona Pauline, nursing a 5-4 lead, was looking like she did in her 2-1 and 4-1 regular-season wins against the Sabers, both four-hitters. She had struck out four in a row after fanning pinch hitter Brenda Gonsalves for the second out in the sixth.

Perreira sent up Rosa-Ramon, who worked a 3-1 count before fouling off eight consecutive pitches before drawing ball four on the 13th pitch of the plate appearance.

"I was just thinking about my team and asking God to give us our blessing," Rosa-Ramon said. "I wanted it more than she did and that's how it ended up."

Rosa-Ramon, who shared starting time at first base with last night's starter Taylor Ho'ohuli, came off the bench cold - figuratively and literally since it was a blustery evening in Manoa - to face Pauline, who seemed to have found her rhythm after a shaky first two innings.

"She just had that focus in her eyes," Perreira said of sending Rosa-Ramon to bat for Konohia, who had struck out in both her at-bats. "She wanted to play. We went with defense with Taylor Ho'ohuli at first base, so we tell our girls all year to be ready. I have a lot of confidence in her. She's hungry, she's a senior. That good at-bat sparked everything."

Ho'ohuli and Brianne Silva followed with walks - Pauline's seventh and eighth of the game - to set the table for Esprecion's slam that put Campbell ahead, 8-5.

"That was incredible," Kapolei coach Tony Saffery said of Rosa-Ramon's plate appearance. "That fight took a lot out of Nona; I don't know how many pitches she'd (Rosa-Ramon) seen or fouled off. What a battle."

But it wasn't just the Sabers' bats that hurt the Hurricanes.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mikela Manewa doubled with one out, but got caught in a rundown when Dorian Acierto reached first on a fielder's choice grounder to shortstop. Instead of first and second with one out, the Hurricanes had a runner at first with two outs, lessening the blow by Briana Tovio-Asato's RBI double that pulled Kapolei to 8-6.

In the bottom of the seventh, Pauline led off with a double, bringing the tying run to the plate in Ashalyn Umiamaka. Umiamaka hit a flare to shallow center, where Campbell center fielder Colette Black made a sliding catch and threw to second to double-off the courtesy runner. Left fielder Daylene Antonio added to the late-game drama with a sliding catch to rob Katy Wills of a hit to end the game.

Campbell starting pitcher Summer Palipti went the distance in a gutsy performance, allowing six runs (four earned), 10 hits and two walks. Perreira said he considered pulling her for Esprecion, the team's ace reliever, in the fifth when Kapolei scored to take a 5-4 lead. Though he had done this move during the season, moving his second baseman also changes four other positions, weakening the defense� a little. But Perreira decided to stick with feisty sophomore Palipti, who had the other half of her team's four hits.

The teams had an uncharacteristic start, at least compared to when they met in close, low-scoring games during the regular season.

Campbell took a 2-0 lead, scoring on a wild pitch and pick-off throwing error in the top of the first inning.

But Kapolei responded quickly with a two-run double by Tovio-Asato to tie the game at 2.

Palipti's two out, two-run double in the second gave the Sabers back the lead. But an error and an RBI infield single by the Hurricanes tied the game at 4.

It stayed knotted at 4 until the fifth. Tovio-Asato led off with a walk and courtesy runner Rachel McKean took second on a ground out and remained there when Pauline reached on a single to short. Umiamaka singled to load the bases and McKean scored when Wills reached when Campbell shortstop momentarily bobbled a grounder, losing any chance to stop the runner from scoring, but still getting the batter out.