The theme for Maryknoll baseball in 2014 was consistency.

It could also have been about near perfection.

Ace Joshua Muneno crafted a one-hit shutout as top-seeded Maryknoll defeated Kamehameha-Hawaii 4-0 in the final of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division II State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Spartans (18-3) captured their second state title in a row, relying on stellar pitching, near-error-free defense and timely hitting.

"Joshua did his job. Kamehameha (Hawaii) can swing the bats. He had to keep them off balance, keep it away," coach Randy Yamashiro said.

In 13 innings pitched at the state tourney, Muneno allowed just one earned run while winning twice. He went the maximum allowed, 39 outs.

"It was pretty much the same game plan," Muneno said, referring to his quarterfinal start against Radford. "Keep it away and down. I wasn’t tired at all. I let my team work. I couldn’t be prouder of my defense."

Muneno trusted his defense through and through. He didn’t strike out a batter and walked just two. KS-Hawaii (14-2-1), which scored 40 runs in state-tourney wins over Nanakuli and Waianae, couldn’t seem to get a clear cut on Muneno’s array of pitches.

"He’s a tough pitcher. I could see it in the pen (before the game), mixing speeds, the movement to the outside half (of the plate)," Warriors coach Andy Correa said. "The left side of their defense (third baseman Phillip Aylward, shortstop Trevor Hirano) was terrific. We just needed a bobble here or there. Nobody did this to us all year. Good pitching beats good hitting any time."

Left fielder Michael Nishiki was a key part of the hitting attack all week. The senior was 7-for-12 at the plate with four RBIs and four runs. Justin Ushio, the second baseman, was 4-for-7 with six RBIs, two runs and three walks. Center fielder Jedd Andrade went 5-for-12 and No. 9 hitter Brent Hironaga was clutch, batting 5-for-10 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

"I never imagined that," Nishiki said of hitting .583. "My coach taught me to keep my head down and lay off high pitches."

The only hit for the normally powerful Warriors came off the bat of Micah Carter, who singled in the third inning.

The Spartans broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning against KS-Hawaii starter Chay Toson. Hironaga led off with a single to center and advanced to second on Nishiki’s single to left. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Hironaga scored on Ushio’s single off the glove of shortstop Daylan Calicdan.

Toson struggled to start the fourth inning. After walking Neal Nakasone, he picked Nakasone off, but issued walks to Aylward and Hironaga. Jordan Hirae moved from second base to the mound, but Hirano singled to center, loading the bases. Nishiki then lined a single to right, scoring Aylward and Hironaga for a 3-0 lead.

That was more than enough for Muneno, who was in the midst of retiring 11 Warriors in a row.

Maryknoll was about to conclude its third game in the tourney without an error when the second baseman, Ushio, threw away a routine grounder with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But after a team conference at the mound, Muneno got Kobi Candaroma to fly out to center for the final out.

With that, Yamashiro could finally smile. The ride to a second title wasn’t smooth.

"We were in a different place, a different mentality, different challenges. For guys who never won before, they had to grow up the past two years," he said. "Being the hunted, they didn’t do anything wrong. They learned to play with a championship mentality."

In all, it’s the third D-II state title for Maryknoll, which won in ’09 under coach Kevin Uyehara. The Warriors were seeking their first state baseball crown.

KS-Hawaii loses seven senior starters to graduation, but Correa is optimistic about the future. Besides, synthetic turf is being installed at the school’s field.

"We’ve had two home games in the past two years," he said, noting the constant rainouts on the east side of the Big Island.

THIRD PLACE

KAUAI 8, WAIANAE 2

Sheaven De Lima, Iokepa Kaauwai (6) and Darion Domingo. Tyler Manibog and Cal Koga.

Leading hitters—Wain:?Chaestin Nash-Santiago 2-2; De Lima 2b. Kau:?Manibog 2-4, RBI.

FIFTH PLACE  

MOLOKAI 9, HAWAII PREP 2

Hana Dudoit-Enos and Trevor Takata. Ry-Guy Jarvill, Koa Ellis Jr. (4) and Mike Nakahara. 

W—Dudoit-Enos. L—Jarvill.

Leading hitters—Mol: Nohi Meyer 3-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Kahanu Alcon 2-4; David Rapanot 2 RBIs. HPA: Nakahara 2b.

DP—Maryknoll 2; KS-Hawaii 1. LOB—Maryknoll 9; KS-Hawaii 2. SH—Chun.

WP—Toson; Hirae. HBP—by Hirae (Nishiki); by Hirae (Ushio). PB—Nakasone. Umpires—(Plate): Kimo Kanaeholo. (First): Jim?Lebeau. (Third): Lyle. T—2:05. A—n/a.