BY MATT GERHART | STEPHENS MEDIA ADVERTISING HILO — Campbell coach Rory Pico was caught a bit by surprise this week as observers at the Stanley Costales Memorial Baseball Tournament marveled about his team’s size. “You know, I’ve been told
BY MATT GERHART | STEPHENS MEDIA
HILO — Campbell coach Rory Pico was caught a bit by surprise this week as observers at the Stanley Costales Memorial Baseball Tournament marveled about his team’s size.
“You know, I’ve been told I got some big boys,” he said. “I guess this would be one of my bigger teams.”
East Hawaii’s three Big Island Interscholastic Federation perennial powers can definitely attest to the Sabers’ strength.
Wesley Mendoza went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs as Campbell beat Kamehameha-Hawaii 7-2 — the Sabers’ third straight win over a BIIF team in as many days — to win the championship game Saturday at Wong Stadium.
A day after Campbell outslugged Hilo in a semifinal game that featured 33 runs, the Sabers did most of their damage against the Warriors in the first three innings against starter Kupono Decker and were opportunistic, scoring all their runs with two outs.
“That’s the story of this tournament,” Pico said. “We got big hits when we needed them.”
The Sabers were never more clutch than they were on Thursday in the first round as they scored seven runs in the seventh off Waiakea’s bullpen after being shut down by Warriors ace Quintin Torres-Costa.
Campbell, of the Oahu Interscholastic Association, last reached the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament in 2010. This was the Sabers’ first visit to the Costales tournament in Pico’s nine-year tenure.
“I would love to be invited back. It’s a great opportunity to see the talent on the neighbor islands,” he said. “Coming over here and playing, these teams are tough. We knew it would be tough; we knew we had to play good baseball to come out on top. The ball bounced our way a few times, and we were fortunate to come out on top.”
Dylan Ramie was 2-for-4 with a double and run-scoring single in the second inning, and 6-foot-1 right-hander Kawika Teixeira struck out four over three scoreless innings to get the victory.
Teixeira walked the first three batters he faced in the fourth, but Rayven Kahana came on in relief and got out of the inning unscathed thanks to one of three double plays the Sabers turned in the game.
Kamehameha scored twice in the fifth. Makoa Rosario doubled and scored on Keanu Dudoit-Isa’s hit, and Gideon Kalili followed with a run-scoring hit. Kalili finished 2-for-4 with a double.
Decker was sharp at times, hitting the corners with his fastball and throwing his curveball for strikes over four innings. But Campbell made him pay for leadoff walks in each of the first three innings. Kupono Correa allowed only Mendoza’s RBI hit in three innings of relief.
“They had some clutch hits with men on base,” Kamehameha coach Andy Correa said. “I thought we hit the ball well, just right at people.”
Jasten Smeigh, Donato Gallano and Cody Silver also had two-out RBI singles for Campbell during the first three innings.
The Warriors open the BIIF season March 7 at home against Hilo.
“We’re slowly making some improvements and learning to play together,” Correa said. “This is a new group of boys, and we’re still trying to define roles.”
Campbell 123 000 1 — 7 10 0
Kamehameha 000 020 0 — 2 5 1
c Hilo 9, Konawaena 2: Tyler Higa-Gonsalves was 3-for-4 with four RBIs as the Vikings won the third-place game in a five-inning contest.
RJ Ragual started and got the win, pitching two innings.
Konawaena starter Makana Canda took the loss.
c Waiakea 4, Damien 0: Davy Camacho was 3-for-3, and Robbey Meguro pitched four shutout innings as the Warriors took fifth place.
c Pac-Five 5, Radford 1: Landon Teramoto hit a two-run double as Pac-Five took seventh.
Friday
c Campbell 18, Hilo 15: Rayven Kahana was 2-for-5 with four RBIs, and Cole Nagamine was 3-for-6 with three RBIs as the Sabers won by scoring five times each in the third and fourth innings and six times in the seventh.
The Vikings lost despite a 10-run second inning. Keenan Nishioka was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Micah Kaaukai was 3-for-6.
sports@hawaiitribune-herald.com
