Sabers find way past Na Alii 8-4, capture state tournament berth
WAILUKU — The Maui High School baseball team had a huge obstacle in front of it on Friday at Maehara Stadium, by the name of Jaxon Grossman.
Maui High found a way past the imposing right-hander in an 8-4 win in the Maui Interscholastic League Division I tournament semifinals that sends the Sabers into the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA state tournament at Maehara Stadium May 4-7.
Grossman, a University of Utah signee, used his allotment of 110 pitches, struck out nine, walked two and allowed all eight runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched. He probably deserved a better outcome.
Na Alii led the game 2-0 after a mammoth solo home run by Grossman — part of his 2-for-4 day at the plate — in the top the third inning. They led 4-3 after the top of the fourth and were tied 4-4 until the bottom of the sixth inning.
“Yeah, King K played an amazing game,” Maui High senior Zach Dando said. “They had a couple, here and there errors that might have cost them the game, but around that, Grossman on the mound, pitching amazing, they put up runs. They just strung together hits and they played great baseball.”
Dando smiled when asked about facing Grossman in the batter’s box.
“I mean, that ball is coming fast,” Dando said. “You’ve got to be on time — we just tried to put the ball in play. That’s really all we could do and we got lucky, basically.”
Maui High pitcher Jonah Richardson walked home a run in the top of the second inning to put the first run on the scoreboard.
Grossman sailed through the first inning on 13 pitches, but then needed nine pitches to strike out Luke Alwood to start the second inning. The first hit surrendered by Grossman in two games came when Haiden Sanchez beat out an infield single one batter later.
Grossman needed 30 pitches to get through the second, bringing his total to 43.
Moments later, Grossman made it 2-0 with his cannonading solo blast to left field with two outs in the top of the third.
In the bottom of the inning, Dando led off with a single, Chris Mata was hit by a pitch and Kahiau Teruya then singled to center to load the bases for Alwood.
Grossman struck out Alwood again, but the catcher’s throw to first was awry and Dando scampered home with the first run, leaving runners at second and third.
Sanchez then put the Sabers ahead 3-2 with a bouncer over the head of the King Kekaulike first baseman. Grossman struck out the next two hitters to end the rally.
Na Alii got two runners on with two outs in the top of the fourth before Richardson was lifted for Jonathan Vergel de Dios.
Vergel de Dios hit Kamakalei Stone to load the bases and Joshua Chong-Ornellas drew a four-pitch walk to tie the game. Jaxon Wong was hit by a pitch to give Na Alii the lead 43, bringing Grossman to the plate with the bases still loaded.
A pitch got away from Maui High catcher David Vergel de Dios, but he recovered to tag out Stone at the plate as he tried to score.
The Sabers tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Dando’s bouncer to first base was mishandled, allowing a run to score.
An error and a walk put runners on with one out in the bottom of the sixth and brought Dando to the plate. Dando reached on an error to load the bases, bringing Chris Mata to the plate with Grossman at his pitch limit of 110.
Mata bounced to first base, but the throw home went past the catcher, allowing two runs to score and give the Sabers a 6-4 lead. Alwood singled to left off of relief pitcher Wong to drive in two more.
Akoni Fujihara-Olsten wrapped things up in the top of
the seventh with no trouble — he earned the win with three scoreless innings.
The victory earns the Sabers (8-5) a spot in the MIL tournament title game today at noon at Maehara Stadium, against 13-0 Baldwin. The Bears swept the Sabers in a threegame set last week to finish the regular season.
Maui High went 0-2 in the 2019 state tournament at Maehara Stadium.
“That was the dream — I got to do it my freshman year over here and hopefully we have a different outcome this year,” Dando said. “I’ve been waiting for that one (with Baldwin). Hopefully we can get out there and play our baseball and give them some revenge.”
Maui High coach Chase Corniel was grateful to nail down a state spot.
“That was a tough team right there, they were playing well — the last couple weeks, man, they’re coming on strong, couldn’t take them lightly at all,” Corniel said. “Especially with their leader on the top, on the mound. He’s tough, man. He’s tough.”
King Kekaulike’s season ended at 4-9.
“He’s been throwing well the last couple weeks and he wanted the ball today — he wanted to finish it and he did as much as he could,” King Kekaulike coach Mark Makimoto said of Grossman. “He really wanted to throw today.”