Four West Oahu Teams Gear Up For Postseason Softball Run
All 14 OIA Division I softball teams opened pre-season camp back in February with the same mindset — to be in the mix for a championship in May.
For Campbell, Kapolei, Pearl City and Waipahu, the opportunity finally has arrived. This week’s Red tournament runs Tuesday-Friday at various sites. (Thursday’s semifinals and Friday’s championship will be held at Central Oahu Regional Park in Waipio.)
Berths for the upcoming DataHouse Division I State Softball Championships also will be on the line, as the top six finishers at the OIA tourney will receive bids.
Pairings for the OIA Red tournament were to be finalized Saturday. A look at the postseason prospects for Campbell, Kapolei, Pearl City and Waipahu is below.
Campbell Sabers
Record: 10-1 Key wins: over Pearl City (4-0) March 17; over Pearl City (2-1 in eight innings) April 11; over Mililani (10-4) April 18 Sabers at a glance: The Sabers were nothing less than dominant in the regular season with only two close encounters on their résumé through their first 11 games. As was expected, pitching and defense carried the team. Three of Campbell’s wins came by shutout, with the Sabers yielding a single run in two others.
Junior pitcher Elisa Favela has been among the state’s best players at her position, having logged 47 innings in her first eight appearances. Her 56 strikeouts also tied her for first in the OIA.
Kapolei Hurricanes
Record: 5-6 Key wins: over Leilehua (5-2) March 31; over Waipahu (6-3) March 24; over Waipahu (1-0) April 18 Hurricanes at a glance: The Hurricanes will look for an improved offensive showing this week to help put them over the top for a Red state berth. All told, Kapolei owns a 4-1 record when scoring four runs or more. Conversely, the Hurricanes are 0-5 when their offensive output is less. Sadie Kapaku-You has been the workhorse on the mound for Kapolei of late, with three complete games to her credit.
Pearl City Chargers
Record: 8-3-1 Key wins: Over Kapolei (16-6) March 13; over Leilehua (5-1) March 24; tied with Mililani (3-3) March 31.
Chargers at a glance: The Chargers enter the 2015 postseason with as much momentum as anyone, having gone 6-1-1 in their last eight regular season games. A 2-1 loss to West top seed Campbell was the lone defeat in that stretch.
Pearl City has relied on a pair of talented pitchers in Kristin Frost and Tyanna Kaaialii. The Chargers are 7-0-1 to date when scoring at least three runs.
Waipahu Marauders
Record: 1-10 (Note: The Marauders’ playoff hopes hung in the balance at press time, pending the outcome of their game against Waianae.)
Key win: over Waianae (8-7) on March 28
Marauders at a glance: Despite a 1-10 record, no team will be eager to face Waipahu in a first-round game. Waipahu almost knocked off defending state champ Mililani in both regular-season meetings. Waipahu pitcher Shevan DeFreitas has been one of the state’s most durable this year, having totaled 44 innings in seven appearances. jackster.1969@yahoo.com
