The Eric Kadooka effect is taking shape at Maryknoll.
Just five games into his second season in charge of the Spartans’ baseball program, the seven-time state-championship-winning coach from Punahou has tripled his number of wins from a year ago.
Right-hander Justice Yamashita fired a four-hit shutout with three strikeouts and Payton Grant ended a scoreless tie with a one-out RBI triple in the top of the seventh inning to lead Maryknoll to a 2-0 win over No. 7 Saint Louis on Tuesday at Goeas Field.
Grant added a second Maryknoll run, scoring on a sacrifice bunt. Yamashita took care of the rest, stranding a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh to complete a masterful 98-pitch performance.
“We pushed a couple of runs across and Justice took us home,” Kadooka said. “He threw phenomenal today, mixing early curveball strikes, throwing a good fastball, and he didn’t give in with hitters’ counts.”
Maryknoll improved to 3-2 this season after going 1-14 in Kadooka’s first year with the program.
The Spartans won three consecutive Division II state titles before moving up to Division I in 2016.
Kadooka, who led Punahou to seven straight Division I state crowns from 2004 to 2010, took over the next season after Maryknoll finished 2-13.
The victory over Saint Louis gave the Spartans as many wins in their first five games this year as their first two seasons in Division I combined.
“We’re just working to get things going and realize we have a younger program,” Kadooka said. “We’ve won a few games, but we try to just compete. We don’t always worry about the score. We’re trying to compete.”
They’ve done more than that, knocking off a ranked Crusaders team that handed No. 1 Mid-Pacific its first loss in its last game.
Starter Richie Vidal threw a complete game but allowed three of Maryknoll’s six hits in the seventh inning.
Hailama Swartman led off with a double and was on third with one out when Grant, the No. 9 hitter, smacked a first-pitch triple to right-center to break a 0-0 tie.
“Coach said if I got a strike I’d have to squeeze, so I was looking fastball first pitch and got it right down the plate,” Grant said. “I squared it up and got that hit.”
Yamashita walked four and struck out three and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth.
With one out, catcher Tyler Quinn caught a runner off second napping and threw behind him for the second out.
Yamashita then got a ground ball to second to end the inning.
“It was a helluva play. I’ve never had that before,” Yamashita said. “That was one of the better (starts) for me. My off-speed pitches were doing a lot better than they usually do.”
The Crusaders fell to 2-3 and have scored one run in their past two losses combined.
“Just too many mistakes again,” Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. “We saw how good (Yamashita) was against Kamehameha earlier this season and he was just as good.”
