WAILUKU, Maui » Zachery Muenster was the blue monster again for Pearl City.

The sophomore, injured for most of the regular season, pitched six innings and struck out nine without issuing a walk as the six-time defending state champs eliminated Pearl City 8-1 from title contention.

Unseeded Punahou (20-7-1 overall) will meet rival Mid-Pacific in today's 7 p.m. semifinal.

It was the first loss of the season for Pearl City (28-1-1), which is ranked No. 1 in the state.

Last year, in the same quarterfinal round, Muenster pitched four innings in relief to get the win as unseeded Punahou upset top-seeded Pearl City 3-1. That night, the then-freshman allowed no runs and just one hit.

This time, he permitted just one run to spoil the Chargers' run, outlasting Pearl City ace Kahana Neal, who kept a lid on Punahou through three innings.

Muenster pitched two innings in Punahou's opening-round win over Mililani on Wednesday before taking the mound again last night.

“;He wanted the ball, but you don't know what's going to happen,”; Punahou coach Eric Kadooka said. “;He got stronger and got more confident.”;

Muenster mesmerized the Chargers with a precise fastball and tempting curve.

“;He throws it a little slower (this year). Last year's curve was more of a hump,”; Kadooka said. “;Now it's more of an 'Uncle Charley' kind of pitch. We call in on 2-0 (counts) sometimes.”;

Punahou broke through with two runs in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Rick Nomura doubled and later came home on a balk, and Ryan Yamane's single up the middle plated Reece Toma for a 2-0 Punahou lead.

In the fifth, Nomura came through again with a single to right that brought home Kaiana Eldredge and pinch runner Roy Fuchigami, giving the Buffanblu a 4-0 cushion.

“;He was getting tired I guess, leaving mistakes out there for us to hit,”; Nomura said. “;He still had his splitter. It's the best pitch I've ever seen in my career.”;

The Chargers finally got their first hit off Muenster in the bottom of the fifth, patching together singles by Neal, Tyler Tokunaga and Jordan Oshiro. Neal scored on Oshiro's two-out hit to cut the lead to three runs. A diving catch by Punahou left fielder Kainoa Crowell on a line drive off the bat of Jordan Oshiro ended the inning.

Punahou added two more runs in the sixth. Eldredge's double to left with the bases loaded gave the Buffanblu a 6-1 advantage. Michael Suiter came home from third on a wild pitch, and Alaka'i Aglipay followed with a single to left, scoring Eldredge for a five-run lead.

“;We didn't hit the ball for four innings, and that balk kind of changed the momentum,”; Pearl City coach Gary Nakamoto said. “;You give Punahou one run and they'll take advantage. They executed and we didn't.”;

MID-PACIFIC 8, HILO 5

Pitcher Ryan Muraoka didn't get credit for the win, but he came through at the finish anyway.

Muraoka's three-run homer in the top of the 10th boosted Mid-Pacific to an 8-5 win over Hilo in 10 innings yesterday in the quarterfinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I State Baseball Championships.

Muraoka, the first batter to face Hilo's third pitcher, Ridge Hoopii-Haslam, lifted a high fly to left. Mother Nature took care of the rest.

“;It was a fastball, kind of low,”; said Muraoka, who pitched seven innings and hit 3-for-6. “;I was kind of looking for it.”;

The two-out clout started out as a deep fly ball as Hilo left fielder Sidney Wong began to run out of space near the corner.

“;The wind took it up. I said, 'Please get far enough so he doesn't catch it,' “; Muraoka said.

SAINT LOUIS 4, KAILUA 2

Jordan Fukumoto doubled and scored the game's first run on a single by Kaleo Aliviado in the top of the sixth inning as the Crusaders (27-4 overall) went on to win a pitcher's duel.

Christopher Chung went the distance, scattering eight hits. The senior right-hander struck out four and walked none. His arsenal of pitches, particularly a tailing fastball, was buoyed by the crosswinds.

“;My two-seam fastball was working great. The wind is a factor. You want to pitch on the outside part of the plate,”; Chung said.

His counterpart, Alika Ramseyer-Ho, allowed just two hits through five innings.

“;Chris has been lights-out his last three games. So was Alika,”; Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. “;We had some poor baserunning, but that's just excitement. Hopefully, having one game in helps.”;