Hilo’s dream of an all-Hawaii island final was crushed by a gang of Bears.

Baldwin got a complete-game pitching effort from Troy Shishido to oust the Vikings 6-2 Thursday night in the Division I semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships.

"Our primary goal was to win MIL and our second goal was to win the state tournament, so we’ve created that opportunity for ourselves," Bears coach Jon Viela said. "We’ve had perseverance. We had adversity with our errors, but they’re able to fight back. That’s important. I feel good as a coach because they battled back."

Baldwin, the No. 4 seed, will meet third-seeded Waiakea of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation in tonight’s final. Now the Bears go for their first state title since 1995 — against a team they lost to during a preseason tourney on Maui. Baldwin led that game before Waiakea rallied for a 6-5 win.

"Everybody is a leader on this team. Everybody is on the same level," said second baseman Branden Kaupe, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI. He stole a base despite being picked off in a quarterfinal win over Kamehameha. He also stole home in the same game.

"The last time we played in a (state) championship game, we got pretty much killed, but we’ve tried to forget about it," he said, referring to a 13-2 loss to Punahou two years ago.

A sparse, but boisterous crowd at Les Murakami Stadium saw Hilo, which had upset Punahou and No. 1 seed Kailua earlier, take an early 1-0 lead. It didn’t last long, however, as Baldwin went ahead with five runs in the second inning. Shishido used his breaking pitch to keep the young Vikings off balance. He struck out just one and walked none, though he ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh, hitting two batters.

Shishido, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, gave up a run-scoring double to Elijah Cruz as Hilo cut the margin to four runs. After he hit Kian Kurokawa, the Vikes had the bases loaded and the potential tying run at the plate with Randall Iha.

But Iha lined out to short and Chayce Ka’aua grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game.

"Shishido kept us off balance and kept his ball down," Hilo coach Tony DeSa said. "He made quality pitches when he needed to, and they made their plays."

Baldwin has gotten complete-game performances from two pitchers so far, Shishido and Noah-Jason Apolo.

"We expect no less from (Shishido). He pitched in the state tournament last year and he pitched well, and he’s pitched well throughout the season," Viela said.

Shishido relied on a cut fastball all night.

"Right from the start, that was my pitch. Every inning, I felt like I got stronger and stronger," the senior said. "I just had to finish strong."

Hilo jumped ahead when Iha led off the first by getting hit by a Shishido pitch and later scored on a throwing error by Bears third baseman Rahni Pantorilla.

Baldwin sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the second. Hilo starter Conrad Kauffman, a sophomore, hit two batters in the inning, and two errors added pressure.

Jameson Kahalekai-Bermoy’s opposite-field single to left got the outburst going, and the Bears scored runs on a hit batter (Lane Kashiwamura) and walk (Aaron Victorino) with the sacks filled. After Kaupe’s sacrifice fly brought Kashiwamura home, Baldwin had a 5-1 lead. Anoai Moe-Keahi’s single to center scored Isaiah Maddela in the fifth to extend Baldwin’s lead to five runs.

"There’s nothing to hold their heads down about," DeSa said. "They played their hearts out all year. That’s why we love baseball so much. We hit the ball well, but to people. It’s one of those days. It happens."