WAILUKU — The Seabury Hall baseball team is headed back to the state tournament for the first time since 2012.

The Spartans clinched a berth to the Division II HHSAA/Wally Yonamine Foundation state tournament with an 8-1 win over Lanai in the semifinals of the Maui Interscholastic League tournament on Thursday at Maehara Stadium.

The game was tied 1-1 through four innings after a towering solo home run by Lanai’s Morgan Jonas in the top of the fourth.

With three-sport standout Naighel Calderon on the mound, Seabury Hall coach Joe McFarlin knew his team was in a battle.

“Lanai came out with full force, they had their best pitcher on the mound — he pitched a hell of a game,” McFarlin said. “I think he might have gotten tired at the end. We just kept on pushing at him, just trying to get runners on base.”

The Spartans (7-2) scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth — two scored on wild pitches and another came home on an error. That was enough for pitcher Lucas DiMartino, who went the distance on the mound with a three-hitter, striking out seven and walking two.

Seabury Hall added another four runs in the sixth on a run-scoring balk, a two-run double by Jacob Luther and an RBI double by Ben Swartz.

Calderon left the mound after five innings, surrendering four runs and four hits, walking six and striking out four for the Pine Lads (4-5). The loss ended the stellar prep career for Calderon, a first-team MIL D-II All-Star in eight-player football and basketball.

“Hats off to him, I’ve seen him grow up since his freshman year in this league in baseball,” McFarlin said. “He’s a class act, start to finish.”

Calderon showed his athleticism on a bunt in the fourth inning down the third-base line when he almost robbed a hit when he fielded the ball, spun in the air and fired to first, just missing the out.

“Maybe Nolan Arenado makes that play from third base, but he did it from the pitcher’s mound,” McFarlin said. “Incredible athlete.”

The Spartans qualifying for the state tournament is “huge, that’s what we came into this game motivated about. That was their reward, this is the first state tournament berth we’ve gotten in a long time,” McFarlin said.

Seabury Hall will meet six-time defending MIL champion Molokai, a 3-2 winner over St. Anthony, in the tournament final today.

“The work’s not over yet,” McFarlin said. “Big game tomorrow.”

Lanai coach Ricky Sanches Jr. said his team tried to stay with the Spartans as long as they could.

“They always execute well,” Sanches said. “You’ve got to be almost perfect against these guys.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Lanai 000 100 0–1 3 4

Seabury Hall 010 034 x–8 6 2

Naighel Calderon, Devrene Kahananui-Alejado (6), Devin Vidad (6) and Kane Tubera. Lucas DiMartino and Rafe Perrin. W–DiMartino. L–Calderon. 2B-Seabury Hall: Jacob Luther, Ben Swartz. HR–Lanai: Morgan Jonas.

Leading hitters–Lanai: Jonas 2-3, run, RBI.

MIL D-II Tournament

At Maehara Stadium

Thursday’s Results

Semifinals

Molokai 3, St. Anthony 2

Seabury Hall 8, Lanai 1

Today’s Game

Tournament championship

Molokai vs. Seabury Hall, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

D-II overall championship, if necessary: Molokai vs. Seabury Hall, 10 a.m.