Maui grabs school’s first state baseball title in 35 years

The hottest team in Wednesday’s first round stayed that way throughout the entire state tournament.

Unseeded Maui clobbered its way to the school’s first state baseball title in 35 years with a 6-1 victory over Waiakea on Saturday night before a crowd 1,925 in the Division I final of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.

Jyrah Lalim’s two-run double highlighted a five-run bottom of the sixth inning and Mikito Barkman, the tournament’s most outstanding player who caught a lucky break in Friday’s semifinal win, throwing exactly 35 pitches, earned his second victory in as many days, allowing one unearned run in six innings to keep the title on the Valley Isle.

Baldwin won the tournament last year.

“These kids kept at it every day,” Maui coach Chase Corniel said. “We didn’t win the Maui title, but we as a coaching staff tried to instill in (the players) that they could do it.”

The Sabers (14-5) did it at the plate, scoring 32 runs in four tournament games.

Waiakea (17-3) got to the final on the strength of its pitching and gave up just five runs in its first 26 innings before Maui doubled that in the final inning it came to bat.

“I knew at least one inning we would have a breakout inning,” said senior Micah Jio, who hit .500 (7-for-14) in the tournament with six runs scored. “Every game we had that one inning that people got on base and we produced.”

Like in Friday’s semifinal win over Campbell, when Maui had six of its eight hits and scored four of its six runs in the sixth inning, the Sabers took away most of the drama again late.

Leading 1-0 after Kao Mindoro’s one-out RBI double, neither team scored again until Mindoro was hit by a pitch to start the sixth.

The next four batters reached base and Lalim’s two-run double to left made it 5-0 Sabers. Jio added an RBI triple after a Waiakea pitching change for a 6-0 advantage.

“Both pitching (staffs) did really good and held each other down, but then we came out in the sixth inning and cashed in more and gave us a lot of cushion,” Lalim said.

Waiakea tried to make it interesting when an error allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base in the top of the seventh.

Barkman had to come out at 75 pitches after throwing 35 the previous day, and Corniel brought in Lalim, who dazzled defensively at shortstop. A bunt single and an error allowed one Waiakea run to score and Casey Yamauchi singled to load the bases with nobody out for Waiakea.

The tying run was on deck, but Lalim got two ground-ball force-outs at the plate before a chopper to second ended it.

“We showed a lot of heart, especially in that last inning trying to come back,” Waiakea coach Rory Inouye said. “Maui played a helluva game. They deserved this one.”

Jamieson Hirayama gave up one run in 12⁄3 innings and Cody Hirata battled through 32⁄3 innings to keep Waiakea close until the sixth inning.

Barkman, who scattered four hits and walked two with three strikeouts, had three of Maui’s nine hits.

Corniel said Friday night’s four-inning effort allowing only one hit and one unearned run against Campbell was the best he’s seen Barkman pitch.

He had to amend that 24 hours later.

“He was better,” Corniel conceded with a laugh. “He stepped up big and was a bulldog for us tonight. I’m so proud of him for his willingness to do what’s best for the team and having that mind-set that he’s going to get that chance and when he did, he took advantage of it.”

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