Baldwin Advances to Div. I State Baseball Semifinals

Baldwin High School advanced to the semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation Division I State Baseball Championships after posting a 5-3 victory over Kamehameha Kapalama at the Iolani Baseball Field on Wednesday.

Noah Apolo pitched a complete game for the fourth-seeded Bears, scattering five hits and allowing two earned runs. Apolo struck out six batters and walked two.

The Maui Interscholastic League champions improved to 14-1 and will play Hilo in an all-Neighbor Island semifinal today at 7 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. Unseeded Hilo produced their second upset in as many days, knocking off top-seeded Kailua, 3-2. On Tuesday, the Vikings stunned Punahou, 5-3. Pearl City and third-seeded Waiakea will play in the other Division I semifinal at 4 p.m.

Baldwin scored twice in the first and took advantage of three Warrior errors in the second inning to add three more runs. Ahead 5-0, the Bears gave up a run in the fourth inning and Kamehameha Kapalama added a pair of runs in the fifth inning.

Branden Kaupe led the Bears offensively, batting 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Daulton Cabacungan scored two runs.

Meanwhile, in the other Division I game involving MIL teams, MIL runner-up Maui High was eliminated from the tournament after coming up short against Moanalua, 5-3. On Tuesday, Pearl City defeated the Sabers 5-1. Maui High capped the season 8-8.

In Division II baseball, Seabury Hall was sent to the consolation bracketafter losing 12-2 in five innings to Maryknoll at Hans L’Orange Field.

Seabury Hall led 2-0 after the first inning, but Maryknoll scored once in the second and again in the third, before exploding for four runs in the fourth and six in the fifth.

Cayde Omura had two hits for the Spartans (8-2), the MIL’s lone D-II representative. The Spartans face Konawaena today at 11:30 a.m. for a berth in the fifth-place game.