The Maui News

The Maui High School softball team clinched a state tournament spot with a 9-1 win over Lahainaluna on Monday.

The No. 2-seeded Sabers’ victory over the No. 3 Lunas in the Maui Interscholastic League Division I semifinals sets up a showdown with Baldwin in today’s tournament final. A win today for Maui High (11-2), which went 1-2 against the top-seeded Bears during the regular season, would force an overall championship game Wednesday afternoon for the MIL’s top seed to the Datahouse/HHSAA D-I State Championship.

Lahainaluna’s season ends at 5-8.

Statistics from the Sabers-Lunas game were not reported.

In Monday’s first semifinal, Baldwin rallied after losing an early lead to defeat King Kekaulike 11-7.

After Na Alii (5-9) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Bears (12-1) scored four in the bottom half and tacked on another run in the third to go ahead 5-3.

King Kekaulike grabbed the lead back with four runs in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of three hit batters that loaded the bases for Kola Edlao, who cleared them with a two-out double to right field. Edlao later came home on an error.

But Baldwin went ahead for good with three runs in the bottom half of the inning behind four singles and two sacrifice flies.

• BALDWIN 11, KING KEKAULIKE 7

King Kekaulike 300 400 0–7 6 4

Baldwin 401 312 x–11 9 4

Hulali Williams, Trista Otani (4), Williams (4). Lennel Olaivar-Sugse, Lauren Otsubo (5) and Jasmyn Yoshikawa. W–Olaivar-Sugse. L–Otani. Sv–Otsubo. 2B–King Kekaulike: Nai Kualaau, Kola Edlao.

Leading hitters–King Kekaulike: Edlao 2-4, run, 3 RBIs; Kualaau 2-4, run; Aki Tamayose 2 runs. Baldwin: Lahela Painter 2-5, 2 runs; Briana Maio-Silva 1-2, 3 runs, 2 RBIs; Shaileah Brown 2-3, run, 3 RBIs; Makanani Sonognini 1-2, 2 RBIs; Kiyana Nakagawa 2 runs; Traci Kahalewai 2 runs.