LAHAINA — The Baldwin High School softball team knew it needed a win.

Shauna Ah Yen figured that to get one against unbeaten Lahainaluna, ranked seventh in the Advertiser's statewide poll, the Bears needed a quick start.

Ah Yen delivered it with a two-run single in the top of the first inning of a 3-0 victory that put Baldwin back in the thick of the Maui Interscholastic League Division I race yesterday.

Baldwin (9-2) got within a game of the host Lunas (10-1), who could have taken a three-game lead with seven to play.

''Coming out with a bang was our main goal and our plan,'' said Ah Yen, the only everyday starter back from last season's state championship team, to The Maui News. ''We wanted to prove to everybody that just because we're young doesn't mean anything.''

The Bears added a run in the third on an RBI single by Trisha Nobriga, who was 2-for-3, and that was plenty for freshman pitcher Kaitlin Watanabe.

Watanabe finished with a two-hit shutout, struck out five and walked none.

''Our freshman pitcher really stepped up,'' Baldwin coach Joe Durant said.

Durant agreed with Ah Yen that getting an early jump on the Lunas was crucial.

''Humongous,'' Durant said. ''We have been struggling, so that was gigantic. We've been trying to do that all year.''

With another meeting between the teams today at 10 a.m. at War Memorial Little League Field No. 1, Durant said that yesterday's game was a must-win.

''With no tournament, we had to have that game today and it would be nice to get one tomorrow,'' he said. ''We have been struggling with consistency all season, but we had a good game in our last one against Lana'i. Today was a chance to start being consistent and getting into a groove and I hope we did.''

With Ah Yen gobbling up seemingly every grounder up the middle from her shortstop position — she played second base last season — the Bears finished with two errors. That was the same number as the Lunas, but both of the Lahainaluna errors led to runs.

Lunas pitcher Tiffany Bonifacio finished with a five-hitter, struck out five and walked none.

Even when the Lunas weren't charged with an error, they made some other bobbles yesterday.

''Baldwin is always tough,'' Lahainaluna coach Earle Kukahiko said. ''We still have the modified third round, but every time we play Baldwin it is a key ballgame.

''They were very aggressive today and maybe caught us off-guard. We were off today. We ran into each other on a routine fly ball, we were making mental mistakes, we were just off-line today for some reason.''

In his first season, Durant has the Bears right back in contention for the MIL Division I title after losing eight starters from last season. The MIL pennant will be settled by three more games in the league's double round-robin schedule and then have four more games in a modified third round added for an 18-game regular season. With no tournament, the top two teams in the regular-season standings will go to the state tournament.

Durant said Rudy Souza and his son Ryan, who both coached state champions in their Baldwin tenure, left a rock-solid foundation. Durant said carryover assistants Eric Rivera, Rodney Navarro and Duane Ah Yen have helped keep the Bears' winning tradition alive.

''The Souzas left a good group of players — they may not have played a lot, but that doesn't mean they can't play — and, of course, their fine tradition has carried over,'' Durant said. ''I am not as strict, but the players are getting used to us.''

Shauna Ah Yen said that with the Lunas coming in unbeaten, there was motivation.

''Yup, we wanted it even more because they were undefeated,'' Ah Yen said. ''It is kind of hard without everyone from last season and we're young, but every returnee is stepping up.''

Baldwin 201 000 0—3 5 2

Lahainaluna 000 000 0—0 2 2

Kaitlin Watanabe and Malia Killam. Tiffany Bonifacio and Tricia Bonifacio. W—Watanabe. L—Ti. Bonifacio.

For more Maui news, visit www.mauinews.com