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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 2:08 p.m., Sunday, April 20, 2008

Preps: Maui win forces MIL baseball playoff

By Robert Collias
The Maui News

WAILUKU — Two successful suicide squeezes, one steal of home, three triples, 11 of the 15 hits to the opposite field, five lead changes, two ties, 11 runners left in scoring position and a full house at Maehara Stadium.

It wasn't an average Maui Interscholastic League baseball game last night, but the Maui High School baseball team will take its come-from-behind 7-5 win over Baldwin.

The result leaves both teams with 10-2 MIL records and forces a playoff game tomorrow at 6 p.m. for the regular-season Division I title and the state tournament berth that goes with it.

The biggest hit of the night belonged to Sabers senior Mitchell Crim, who tripled with one out in the top of the seventh and scored the go-ahead run one wild pitch later.

''I knew I just had to make something happen,'' Crim said to The Maui News. ''It was tied so we knew we had extra innings if we needed, but it was a full count and I was just trying to get the bat on the ball. I'm glad it fell in.''

Baldwin's Skyler Cabacungan pitched a career-high three innings in relief with eight strikeouts one night earlier in a 3-1 Bears win, but three innings proved to be the breaking point for him yesterday.

With one out in the top of the seventh, the left-handed Crim tripled to the left-center field gap and then scored on Cabacungan's next pitch, which bounced past catcher Riley Beeson, to make the score 6-5 — right after Cabacungan reached three innings pitched.

The next batter, Jordan Inamasu, walked and stole second, and Justin Fontanilla grounded out to third. Josh Gascon walked to put runners at first and second and Jordan Agcaoili singled to right field to make the score 7-5 and spell the end for Cabacungan after 3 1/3 innings pitched.

''He might have been getting tired, but what he did to set us down the way he did (Friday) — I give him props for that for sure,'' Crim said. ''He pitched three innings last night and almost four more tonight and that will definitely tire anybody out.''

The Bears made it interesting by putting two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Maui ace reliever Jacob Babauta got the final out as he fielded a bouncer from Neil Morioka and the throw just beat Morioka to the bag.

''It wasn't nice looking, but we are certainly happy to force a playoff,'' Maui coach Lee Yonamine said. ''Baldwin has been playing great defense and we had to earn every run we got. I mean, they are playing great defense and we are just happy to be in this situation.''

The Sabers tied the score at 5-5 in the sixth on a high chopper in the infield that scored Gascon, who led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a single by Peter Ibanez.

Kainalu Garso had two hits for the Bears, while Crim and Agcaoili each had a pair for the Sabers. Travis Manuel had three RBIs — one in each of his at-bats.

In a postgame coin flip, Baldwin won the right to be home team tomorrow. The loser of tomorrow's game will have to go through the MIL tournament to get to states and will open against third-place Kamehameha Maui in the first round on Friday.

''Tonight was a tough game,'' said Baldwin coach Jon Viela, who added that Shishido will start tomorrow on the mound. ''Maui High came out after losing last night and battled hard. We know Monday night is going to be another great game that anybody can win.''

Crim agreed.

''I have been playing against that team for three years and every time it is a hard game,'' he said. ''Everybody knows it is always going to be close and both teams gear up big time for that game.''

The first sign the game was going to be intense came in the bottom of the first when Cabacungan led off with a stand-up triple that bounced to the right-field wall, but was left there on three straight softly hit grounders induced by Ibanez.

Maui took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Bears took the lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single by Garso.

The Bears left runners at second and third after Todd Miyazono followed Garso with a single and Morioka moved them over with a sacrifice bunt — the first two of seven runners Baldwin left in scoring position.

The Sabers tied the game in the top of the third on a run manufactured by the speedy Crim. He reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and third and then scored on a wild pitch.

The Sabers took the lead and chased Baldwin starter Gyson Mochizuki in the process when Manuel hit a one-out RBI triple that sailed over the head of right fielder Morioka and to the wall.

After Cabacungan relieved Mochizuki, the Sabers' Jordon Jim-Keene laid down a successful suicide squeeze on the first pitch to bring in Manuel for a 4-2 lead.

The Bears immediately got back within one run and forced Ibanez out of the game when Jordan Negrini led off with a single to right and Beeson followed with a grounder to third base. Third baseman Gascon tried to force Negrini out at second, but his throw went wide into right field, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.

After the Sabers got the ball back into the infield, they were caught off-guard as Negrini stole home to make it 4-3.

Babauta relieved Ibanez and struck out Shishido before Hayase walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Garso loaded the bases with a single to center and Miyazono laid down a suicide squeeze that plated Nathan Clark, courtesy running for Beeson, with the tying run.

The Bears took the lead, 5-4, on a fielder's choice off the bat of No. 9 hitter Morioka, who rolled to second base after missing on a pair of bunt attempts. Babauta got out of the inning when Cabacungan grounded out to shortstop.

Maui 011 201 2—7 7 4

Baldwin 020 030 0—5 8 0

Peter Ibanez, Jacob Babauta (5) and Jordan Inamasu. Gyson Mochizuki, Skyler Cabacungan (4), Neil Morioka (7) and Riley Beeson. W—Babauta. L—Cabacungan.

3B—MH, Mitchell Crim, Travis Manuel. B, Cabacungan.

For more Maui news, visit www.mauinews.com