Fujioka

WAILUKU — Almost every time the Baldwin and Maui high school baseball teams get together, it is a colossal battle.

The No. 1 Sabers and No. 2 Bears — the top two teams in the statewide scoringlive.com top 10 poll — did it again in a game that’s final score didn’t indicate how close it was until the final frame on Thursday night at Maehara Stadium.

Baldwin won 11-1 in six innings, scoring nine runs on just two hits in the bottom of the sixth to end the game. Kade Fujioka had reached 99 pitches through six innings — the high school limit is 110 — but he did not have to go back to the mound.

He admitted he was not at his best on Thursday.

“When you don’t have your best stuff the only thing you can do is just compete,” Fujioka said. “I mean, I’ve got eight solid guys with me on the field, too, that back me up, so that’s comforting.”

He knows that ending the game early was huge.

“Very relieving, very relieving, I mean I was ready to go back and finish it, but that was very relieving,” he said.

Both teams are now 9-1 in Maui Interscholastic League play with games today and Saturday against each other to finish the regular season, but the Bears need just one win to clinch the regular-season crown and state berth that goes with it because they would have the head-to-head tiebreaker in that situation.

Baldwin has now won nine of 10 after a 1-6-1 preseason slate.

“This was very big for us,” Fujioka said after his five-hitter that included four strikeouts and three walks. “It feels good. They’re a very good team, undefeated up until now, but it felt good for us, especially after how our season started.”

Anu Chaves led off the bottom of the first inning for the Bears with an infield single that went behind third base and Fujioka immediately sacrificed courtesy runner Peyton Bui to second.

Maui High pitcher Jonah Richardson then struck out Levi Maddela, but Kuhio Aloy singled to center to score Bui with the game’s first run.

Richardson grounded out to begin the top of the second inning before Kahale Kuloloia was hit by a pitch and Trey Shimabukuro flied out to right field for the second out.

Designated hitter Cody Gima walked to put runners on first and second, but Fujioka ended the threat by getting David Vergel de Dios to foul out to Aloy at first base.

Richardson ended the second with a runner at second base when he induced a groundout from Chaves.

The Sabers left runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings.

Haiden Sanchez doubled with one out in the top of the third inning and Chris Mata moved him to third on a groundout for the second out. Again, Fujioka wiggled out of trouble by getting a pop out to first base by Nashiwa.

The respect between these two teams runs deep. When Maddela, a University of Hawaii commit, stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the third he shook hands with Vergel de Dios, the Sabers’ catcher.

Richardson walked to lead off the fourth and Ekolu Arai immediately went in to courtesy run for him. Kuloloia laid down a bunt, but the throw to first base hit him in the back, putting runners at first and third with no outs.

Shimabukuro flied out to short right field for the first out, leaving the runners where they were. Gima then smacked a sharp single to right field to score Arai to tie the game 1-1 and leave runners at first and second.

Fujioka got out of the jam with two harmless fly balls.

Jaren Pascual walked to lead off the Baldwin fourth and was sacrificed to second base.

Bryson Nakamoto flied out to center on a great catch by Dawson Nuese for the second out before Isaac Imamura smacked a hard ball that Nashiwa mishandled at third base, leaving runners at first and third bases with two outs.

No. 9 hitter Laakea Ko smacked a 1-2 pitch into right field to plate Pascual with the go-ahead run, making it 2-1. Richardson struck out Chaves to get out of any more trouble.

Kuloloia led off the Sabers’ sixth with a single up the middle and Aaron Omuro entered the game to pinch run for him. Shimabukuro struck out after he fouled a bunt attempt on a 1-2 pitch.

Omuro took second base on a wild pitch and Gima then walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Vergel de Dios struck out swinging and Nariyuki Dumlao struck out looking to end the threat.

Then came the fateful bottom of the sixth.

The Bears ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule in the frame by scoring nine runs on two hits — the first seven runs crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk, three hit batsmen and three wild pitches. The final run also scored on a bases-loaded walk.

Pascual led off by getting hit by a pitch and Kaedyn Miyake-Matsubayashi came on to run.

Christian Dominno singled to right to put runners on the corners with no outs, spelling the end of the night for Richardson and bringing on Drechen Vinoray-Perreira in relief.

Douglas Mortensen pinch hit for Nakamoto and was hit by the first pitch Vinoray-Perreira threw to load the bases with no outs and bring Imamura to the plate.

Imamura walked to push the lead to 3-1, and then Ko and Chaves were hit on the next two pitches, expanding the lead to 5-1, still with no outs.

Russell Villanueva came on to pitch and he hit Fujioka with the second pitch he threw to make it 6-1 and bring Maddela to the plate. Three wild pitches upped the lead to 9-1 — Maddela and Aloy each walked before Pascual popped out for the first out.

Dominno hit into a fielder’s choice to leave runners on the corners and Mortensen singled home a run to make it 10-1. Kaden Anderson was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Ko walked to end the game.

“Typical Maui High-Baldwin battle, we knew coming into this series every game was going to be a dogfight,” Baldwin coach Craig Okita said. “We were fortunate to get ahead and then kind of keep that lead and at the end put pressure.

“We got a few breaks there at the end to open it up, but Maui High — they’re ranked No. 1 in both polls for a reason. We’re happy and grateful to get it done tonight.”

Maui High coach Chase Corniel said his team has no choice but to bounce back.

“Baldwin is always tough and we’re going to bounce back tomorrow,” he said. “Our players have got to learn from this and don’t let it happen again. We got runners in scoring position, we had our opportunities, we just have to come through.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Maui High 000 100– 1 5 1

Baldwin 100 109–11 6 1

Jonah Richardson, Drechen Vinoray-Perreira (6), Russell Villanueva (6), E.J. Ramones (6) and David Vergel de Dios; Kade Fujioka and Anu Chaves. W–Fujioka. L–Richardson. 2B–Maui High, Haiden Sanchez.

• KAMEHAMEHA MAUI 11, KING KEKAULIKE 6

KS Maui 130 502 0–11 15 5

King Kekaulike 002 004 0– 6 7 2

Raige Velez, Japheth Joaquin (6) and Duke Aloy; Jaxon Wong, Austin Pico (3), Sora Kitagawa (4) and Kamakalei Stone. W–Velez. L–Wong. 2B–Kamehameha Maui, Aloy.

Leading hitters–Kamehameha Maui, Kamole Gilliland 3-4, run, RBI; Nakea Kahalehau 2-3, run; Aloy 2-4, 2 runs; Bransyn Hong 2-4, run, 3 RBIs; Joaquin 2-4, run. King Kekaulike, Kitagawa 2-3.

*****

MIL Baseball Standings

DIVISION I

W L Pct GB

Baldwin 9 1 .900 —

Maui High 9 1 .900 —

KS Maui 5 5 .400 4

King Kekaulike 3 7 .300 6

Lahainaluna 0 12 .000 10

DIVISION II

W L Pct GB

x-Molokai 10 0 1.000 —

Seabury Hall 7 3 .700 3

Lanai 3 7 .300 7

Hana 0 10 .000 10

x-clinched regular-season championship

Thursday’s Results

Kamehameha Maui 11, King Kekaulike 6

Baldwin 11, Maui High 1, 6 innings

Today’s Games

Lanai vs. Hana at Maehara Stadium, 1:30 p.m.

Seabury Hall at Molokai, 3 p.m.

Baldwin vs. Maui High at Maehara Stadium, 3:30 p.m.

King Kekaulike vs. Kamehameha Maui at Maehara Stadium, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Lanai vs. Hana at Maui High, 10 a.m.

Seabury Hall at Molokai, 10 a.m.

King Kekaulike vs. Kamehameha Maui at Maehara Stadium, 3:30 p.m.

Baldwin vs. Maui High at Maehara Stadium, 5:30 p.m.

End of regular season