WAILUKU — They went down as four unearned runs, but they were huge for the Maui High School baseball team.

Jordan Inamasu broke out of a season-long slump with a resounding grand slam in the second inning to lead the Sabers to an 8-1 win over Baldwin in a playoff for the Maui Interscholastic League Division I regular-season championship last night at Maehara Stadium.

''That was the very first home run of my life at any level,'' Inamasu said to The Maui News. ''No better time, I guess. I didn't know it was out until I saw it go over when I was rounding first base.''

Maui (11-2), ranked ninth in the Advertiser's statewide poll, clinched a spot in the state tournament next month on O'ahu, while sixth-ranked Baldwin (10-3) is now in danger of missing the event for the second year in a row after going 16 consecutive times.

The Sabers found a soft spot in the Bears' defensive armor in the top of the second inning of a scoreless game when left fielder Kainalu Garso dropped a two-out fly ball off the bat of Maui's Teven Devera, the No. 9 hitter, in swirling winds. The error was just the second for the Bears through 16 innings in the series and it put runners at second and third.

Mitchell Crim was intentionally walked to bring Inamasu — the junior catcher who has batted second, seventh and eighth in the Sabers lineup this season — to the plate. Baldwin pitcher Brock Shishido worked the count to 1-2 before Inamasu fouled off the next two pitches.

Then came the fateful curveball that Inamasu deposited to the left of the scoreboard over the secondary fence behind the 340-foot sign in left field.

''When I was on deck and saw runners at second and third, I had a feeling they were going to walk Mitch,'' Inamasu said. ''I've been in that situation before and it didn't go our way. I was ready for it tonight and it did go our way. With two strikes I was looking fastball, but I just shortened up, recognized the curveball and threw my hands at the ball.''

Inamasu was 0-for-5 in the series at that point with a walk, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice bunt, which came in the first inning yesterday. He batted eighth on Friday in a 3-1 loss and then second in the Sabers' 7-5 win Saturday.

''I mean Baldwin had just been playing sterling defense, but that one mistake hurt,'' Maui coach Lee Yonamine said. ''We had no errors and I really think that was the difference in the game. Jordan has been struggling this year, but he has been a starter since his freshman year and he came through like we knew he could tonight. We moved him to second in the lineup because we were getting nothing out of that spot and tonight we put him there and it was obviously big.''

Instantly the game had changed with the Sabers holding the first lead of more than two runs in the series.

The Sabers made the score 5-0 in the third when Peter Ibanez doubled home Josh Gascon, who led off with a walk.

With the Bears facing their largest deficit of the season, they didn't help themselves when two baserunners were thrown out during the first two innings.

Courtesy runner Nathan Clark was picked off by Crim in the second after a leadoff single by Shishido, and Cabacungan was thrown out trying to steal by Inamasu to end the third inning.

''Our defense still played OK,'' Baldwin coach Jon Viela said. ''I don't think it was defense that lost this game, it was more our mental approach to the game. You can't pinpoint one little thing in this game. It is a tribute to Maui High that they came out on fire. In baseball if you give extra opportunities, big innings like that can occur.''

In the top of the fourth inning, lightning struck again for the Sabers as Crim's fly ball was lost in the lights and fell in left-center field, allowing the speedster to round the bases for a solo, inside-the-park homer and a 6-0 lead.

Garso's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth made the score 6-1, but Crim ended the inning with two runners on base when he got Kaulana Ching to ground out.

Crim, the regular center fielder, was the only pitcher in the top of either team's rotation not to pitch Friday or Saturday.

''Give Mitch big credit,'' Yonamine said. ''We didn't pitch him much this season — not because he can't pitch, but because he is so valuable in center. We were hoping for two innings and we got seven. Mitch came up big on both sides of the ball — offense and defense — and that was huge.''

Crim finished with a six-hitter. He struck out two and walked two. The right-handed senior was successful at keeping the Bears' all-right-handed lineup off balance all night — no one on Baldwin had more than one hit.

''Mitch was on tonight,'' Inamasu said. ''Me and him, before the season started, we would go out and play catch on Sundays to get him ready. We have just had a connection since he was a sophomore and I was a freshman. Tonight our connection was focus.''

Shishido, Friday's winner, went six innings and gave up three earned runs and eight hits last night. He took the mound in the top of the seventh to warm up, but then came out in favor of Gyson Mochizuki before throwing a pitch. Since Shishido had warmed up, he was told by the umpire he had to return and his first pitch was hit by Crim for a double to center field. That again brought on Mochizuki, who was greeted by a single by Inamasu to score Crim, who had stolen third.

The Sabers added their final run on an RBI double by Travis Manuel.

Crim was 3-for-3 and wound up a triple short of the cycle, and was 6-for-10 in the series. He scored two runs to finish the series with four runs scored and four stolen bases.

Inamasu was also 3-for-3 yesterday with five RBIs and two runs.

The Sabers are the No. 1 seed for the MIL D-I tournament that starts tomorrow with a game between Lahainaluna and King Kekaulike. Maui will play Wednesday's winner in the semifinals on Thursday as it seeks its first MIL pennant since 1998.

Baldwin must bounce back to face a rested Kamehameha-Maui (9-3) team in the semis Friday. The tournament title game is Saturday with a possible playoff game for the overall title or second place next Monday.

''I don't think anybody wants to play Kamehameha-Maui right now,'' Viela said. ''They are a tough team and they have a great pitcher in Isaiah Kaneakua, who has been throwing gems at everybody he has faced.''

Maui 041 100 2—8 10 0

Baldwin 000 100 0—1 6 1

Mitchell Crim and Jordan Inamasu. Brock Shishido, Gyson Mochizuki (7) and Riley Beeson. W—Crim. L—Shishido. 2B—MH, Peter Ibanez, Crim, Travis Manuel; B, Jordan Negrini. HR—MH, Inamasu (grand slam), Crim (inside park).