By: Wes Nakama
Both methodically and sometimes spectacularly with a Spectrum OC16 statewide TV audience watching, Campbell held off Wai’anae, 4-2, Tuesday night to clinch the OIA Western Division’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming league softball playoffs.
Senior right-hander Taryn Irimata scattered six hits and struck out 13 with no walks at McKinley to help the Sabers remain unbeaten at 9-0, with the regular season finale against third place Mililani (5-4) set for 6 p.m. Thursday. Second-place Wai’anae fell to 7-2.
“I told the girls, you guys control your own destiny, and it’s how much you want it tonight,” Campbell coach Shag Hermosura said. “From here on in, it’s going to get tougher and tougher.”
Fortunately for the Sabers, leadoff batter Quinn Waiki wasted no time in taking care of business, slamming the first pitch of the game over the fence in center field. They added another run shortly after when Caira Curran singled to left, moved to second on Nanea Pantatisco’s sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Lorraine Alo’s single to left.
Campbell made it 3-0 in the fifth after Waiki reached on an infield error, advanced to third on Curran’s single and scored on Pantatisco’s squeeze bunt.
In the meantime, Irimata was motoring along, striking out eight (to reach 300 for her career) and scattering four hits through five innings while not allowing a runner past second base. But Jerzie Liana led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left, and then with two outs Braiesey Rosa drilled a fastball over the fence in right-center field.
“I missed, (it was) a little more on the plate than I would have liked,” Irimata said. “Braiese is a really good hitter, so (the home run) wasn’t a surprise. I feel like the whole game, I was trying to calm myself down. I know these girls, I know they can hit … I know pretty much their whole lineup, so I had to really prepare myself for this game.”
Irimata ended the rally quickly with a strikeout, and the Sabers got an insurance run in the seventh after Kaiana Wong led off with a single to left, advanced to second on a hit batter, to third on Pantastico’s third sacrifice bunt and scored on an infield error.
Irimata then struck out the side in the bottom half to secure the victory.
“She threw a hell of a game,” Hermosura said. “(The Seariders) were sitting on Taryn’s fastball at one point, so I decided to change it up and keep them off balance. That’s what I called, and whether it was a strike or not, at least it threw them off.”
Hermosura said winning the West was one goal, but Campbell still has more to achieve, and Irimata concurred.
“It definitely feels good, but I think it was earned, we really worked hard for it,” Irimata . “I also know we can’t get complacent, at practice we still have to work really hard and know that on any day, someone can beat us.”
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