Another Interscholastic League of Honolulu powerhouse has been trumped by a neighbor island ace.

This time it was sophomore Noah-Jason Apolo, who scattered five hits in Baldwin’s 5-3 win over Kamehameha on Wednesday at ‘Iolani’s field.

The win advanced Baldwin, the Maui Interscholastic League champion, into the Division I•semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships. The Bears (14-1) will meet Hilo in a 7 p.m. matchup at Les Murakami Stadium today.

On Tuesday, Hilo eliminated Punahou from championship contention.

On Wednesday, it was Apolo who kept Kamehameha, one of the top hitting teams in the ILH, off balance from the start. The southpaw used his cutter, change and curve effectively, mixing in a fastball.

"I knew they’re free swingers. They try to pull everything and they can’t hit the low outside pitch," said Apolo, who struck out six and walked two.

The Warriors got to him for a run in the fourth and two in the fifth, but only one of those runs was earned because of four errors by a normally reliable Baldwin defense. That matched Kamehameha’s error total.

"I just flush it and get the next one," said Apolo, who also plays first base. "I knew my teammates had my back."

Baldwin coach Jon Viela looked on after the game as Apolo ran near the left-field fence after the game for 10 minutes.

"He’s been pitching well since the last series (against Maui)," said Viela, a former UH infielder.

It wasn’t simple, either. The first two innings took nearly an hour to complete. Apolo sat on the bench for nearly the entire hour as his team built a 5-0 lead, chasing Kamehameha starter Trey Smith.

Isaiah Maddela’s groundout brought Daulton Cabacungan in for the first run. Brandon Kaupe then stole home on a 2-0 fastball, scoring as the pitch whizzed to the backstop.

"We’ve got to manufacture runs. You know how good Kamehameha is," Viela said. "We had (Smith) on a timer, so we knew how long he takes to get to the plate, and Brandon is quick."

An error by Kamehameha’s second pitcher, Nick Young, fueled a three-run second inning for Baldwin. His errant throw on a sacrifice bunt by Aaron Victorino was followed by an infield single by Cabacungan, scoring Isaac-Evans Burrows.

Kaupe’s sacrifice fly brought Victorino home, and Cabacungan scored on a passed ball to give the Bears a 5-0 lead.

Kamehameha, the ILH runner-up, scored a run in the fourth. Tyler Meditz came home from second on a throwing error by Baldwin second baseman Lane Kashiwamura. With a runner at third, Apolo got Po’okela Benanua to fly out, ending the threat.

Young went 5 2/3 innings in relief, permitting just one earned run on five hits. He gave Kamehameha a chance to rally, and the Warriors tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Trey Kodama stole third and came home on a throwing error by the catcher, Maddela. Hoku Botelho’s hit-and-run infield single brought Alika McGuire home from second to make it 5-3.

But Apolo remained composed and induced Tyler Meditz into a flyout to end the inning. Apolo then retired the Warriors in order in the sixth and the seventh for the win.