The Division I state baseball trophy will remain on the Valley Isle for a third straight year.
MIL champion Baldwin backed up its national ranking for most of the season with its second state championship in three years after rolling BIIF champion Waiakea 14-4 in five innings of the final game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.
Haku Dudoit finished 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs and Chayce Akaka also scored three times for the Bears, who were ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Super 25 this week.
Baldwin finished its season 16-1 and added its second state title in three years, sandwiched around Maui’s win in 2017.
“It’s very gratifying because that’s a very good Waiakea team over there,” Baldwin coach Shane Dudoit said. “They helped us out and we were able to capitalize on those situations and get some timely hitting when we needed to.”
Baldwin put the finishing touches on matching the biggest blowout in a Division I state final since the Bears lost to Punahou, 13-2 in 2010, with a seven-run fifth inning.
The first nine batters all reached base with an error and two walks starting the inning.
Haku Dudoit and Nainoa Keahi each added two-run singles as the Bears finished with nine hits in the game — all singles.
“It was very tough,” said Akaka, one of eight starters who were on the state-title winning team two years ago. “(Waiakea) started off strong. We just kept with it, stuck strong and did what we had to do.”
Waiakea’s Casey Yamauchi singled twice and scored the game’s first run and sophomore Kala’i Rosario went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the first inning to put Waiakea up 2-0 and hand Baldwin its first deficit in the tournament.
Seven walks, a hit batter and five errors eventually did in the BIIF champions, who lost their first game of the season to finish 17-1 with a second straight runner-up finish at states.
“A few walks here, a few defensive plays just fell short and (Baldwin) is a great team,” Waiakea coach Rory Inouye said. “They capitalize on things like that.”
Division I
| Match # | Date | Matchup | Time/Scores | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 8 | KS-Maui vs. Campbell | Camp, 3-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 2 | May 8 | Kailua vs. Leilehua | Kail, 3-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 3 | May 8 | 'Iolani vs. Kalani | Iol, 11-1 (6) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 4 | May 8 | Pearl City vs. Punahou | Pun, 6-2 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 5* | May 9 | KS-Maui vs. Leilehua | Tie, 6-6 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 6 | May 9 | (3) Waiakea vs. Campbell | Waik, 6-2 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 7 | May 9 | (4) Mililani vs. 'Iolani | Iol, 12-8 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 8 | May 9 | (1) Baldwin vs. Punahou | Bald, 8-7 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 9 | May 9 | (2) Mid-Pacific vs. Kailua | Kail, 6-1 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 10* | May 10 | Kalani vs. Pearl CIty | Kaln, 9-5 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 11* | May 10 | Mililani vs. Punahou | Mil, 5-4 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 12* | May 10 | Campbell vs. Mid-Pacific | Camp, 4-2 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 13 | May 10 | Waiakea vs. Kailua | Waik, 5-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 14 | May 10 | 'Iolani vs. Baldwin | Bald, 9-4 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 15* | May 11 | Leilehua vs. Kalani | Kaln, 2-1 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 16* | May 11 | Mililani vs. Campbell | Mil, 2-1 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 17* | May 11 | 'Iolani vs. Kailua | Iol, 8-1 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 18 | May 11 | Baldwin vs. Waiakea | Bald, 14-4 (5) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| * — consolation | ||||
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