Saio, Crusaders rout Bears

Saio means simplicity.

It did last night, at least. Relying predominantly on a fastball, Saint Louis ace Josh Saio whiffed 10 batters and fired a four-hit shutout as the Crusaders breezed past Baldwin 7-0 in the opening round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I Baseball State Championship at Les Murakami Stadium.

Division I State Baseball All games at Les Murakami Stadium Seeds: 1. Punahou (ILH); 2. Pearl City (OIA); 3. Waiakea (BIIF); 4. Maui (MIL) Yesterday » Kamehameha-Hawaii 4, Kailua 2 » Roosevelt 3, Castle 2 » Saint Louis 7, Baldwin 0 » Mid-Pacific 3, Aiea 1 Today » Kailua vs. Castle, 9 a.m. » Maui vs. Kamehameha-Hawaii, 11:30 a.m. » Waiakea vs. Saint Louis, 2 p.m. » Punahou vs. Roosevelt, 4:30 p.m. » Pearl City vs. Mid-Pacific, 7 p.m.

"We faced somebody tough," Baldwin coach Jon Viela said. "We didn't make the adjustment in time. He got us chasing that fastball running away."

The Saint Louis defense, plagued by errors during the final two games of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu tournament, was flawless against Baldwin.

Saio, a left-hander, tailed his fastball away from Baldwin's predominantly right-handed lineup, and cut his heat inside to jam the Bears.

"I think it was his best game. He didn't walk a batter," Saint Louis coach Duane Fraticelli said. "Two-out walks have been killing us all year."

He threw only 72 pitches through six frames, but tossed 20 more in the top of the seventh when Baldwin put two runners on base. Otherwise, he was highly efficient.

"I just yelled out (before the game), 'What's my pitch count?' " Saio said.

The number he got was 80.

"My catcher (Keoni Haina) helped me, too. He did a good job spotting, and the (cross) wind helped, too," Saio added. "There's a big (foul) space here. Cole (Shidaki) had a big play against the wall."

The game started perfectly for Saio, who struck out the side in the first, but wasn't so good for Baldwin sophomore Brock Shishido. He gave up a run-scoring single by Kyle Gonzaga, and the Crusaders loaded the bases with one out. However, Shidaki grounded to the mound for a forceout at home, and Haina flied out to center, ending the threat.

The Crusaders added a run in the third on a fielder's choice grounder by Kaden Kamoe with the bases loaded, but the damage was minimal. Despite four hits, four walks and two hit batters, Saint Louis had just a 2-0 lead.

Saint Louis tacked on two more runs in the fifth. After Moses Samia was hit by a pitch -- the third Crusader to be plunked -- and Marcus Kimura singled, Shidaki moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. That set up Haina's two-run double to right for a 4-0 Saint Louis lead.

Mid-Pacific 3, Aiea 1

Dane Kinoshita outdueled Randy Castillo as the Owls advanced to the quarterfinals.

Easton Torigoe went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Michael Arakaki and Todd Nagamine delivered run-scoring singles in the second inning to give MPI a 3-0 lead.

Aiea's lone run came in the third when Ricky Itagaki tripled and came home on a sacrifice fly by Brennan Alejo.

Spectacular diving catches by Itagaki in center field and Keenan Naeole in right prevented MPI from blowing the game open. The Owls had runners in scoring position in every inning but the sixth, but Castillo pitched his way out of trouble.

Mid-Pac left 11 runners on base, but did enough to support Kinoshita. The right-hander permitted just three hits, fanned four and walked two. He threw 97 pitches.

Castillo allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked three in a gutsy effort. He fired 123 pitches.

Kamehameha-Hawaii 4, Kailua 2

Two key errors in the bottom of the sixth dashed the title hopes of the Surfriders, who led 2-0 after five frames.

Blake Amaral was on point with an arsenal of four pitches to get the win for the Warriors, benefiting from a four-run sixth.

"We struggled, but we kept it close and we were lucky," coach Andy Correa said. "Blake kept the ball down and had a lot of poise."

Kailua, the second-place team from the OIA, was ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season Star-Bulletin Baseball Top 10.

"Our seniors didn't produce," Kailua coach Corey Ishigo said. "Scotty (Talaesea) had one hit and that was it."

Roosevelt 3, Castle 2

Kelson Okimoto outlasted Pulama Silva in a pitchers' duel.

Okimoto, a left-hander, threw just 41 pitches through four innings, but gutted out the final three innings as Castle got runners in scoring position. He threw 110 pitches in the contest.

Okimoto gave up eight hits, fanned four and walked four. Silva allowed two earned runs, struck out five and issued two walks.

The Rough Riders broke a 1-all tie in the top of the third inning. Lowen Kahooilihala's grounder up the middle was snagged by Knights shortstop Kainoa Tom, but Kahooilihala beat the throw. Aaron Yamane and courtesy runner Brett Tominaga scored on the play to give Roosevelt a 3-1 lead.

Castle stranded 10 baserunners, including three in the bottom of the seventh, when Okimoto surrendered two walks and a single with two outs. His counterpart, Silva, flew out to center for the final out.