Mililani's Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi reaches up to make a catch in the outfield against Kailua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kailua's Dustin Imanaka gets set to make a throw to first base against Mililani. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Mililani's Kellen Otsu connects with a pitch against Kailua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Mililani's Trevor Inouye gets set to throw a pitch to the plate against Kailua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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MANOA — Trevor Inouye was at his best Thursday afternoon.

Led by Inouye's complete-game three-hitter, Mililani thwarted Kailua in a Division I semifinal, 4-0, at Les Murakami Stadium. The Trojans won their third game in as many days to move on to Friday's title game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships. 

Inouye did not allow a runner past second base and retired 21 of the 26 batters he faced. He struck out six and walked two to improve to 4-2 on the year. It was his third complete game this season.

"Trevor did a great job today," Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said. "The guys have been playing better. They're playing with a lot of confidence right now, so it's just a matter of going out and trying to finish."

Just four batters got to a three-ball count against Inouye, who allow just five balls out of the infield. He was backed up by the Trojan defense, which did not commit an error.

"I just tried to get ahead and establish my fastball inside, make the batters put the ball in play so our defense could work and get the outs and that's what they did," Inouye said. "Every play to our defense, I have faith in them that they can always make the play and it's easier to pitch on the mound with good defense behind you."

Mililani opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when Justice Nakagawa hit a one-out triple to the right field corner and came home on a single to center field by Kellen Otsu. Nakagawa also scored in the fourth, when he was hit by a pitch and scored on Devin Awai's RBI single to left field.

"I guess I'm seeing the ball pretty well right now," said Nakagawa, who batted 2 for 3 with three RBIs in a 5-4 quarterfinal win over top-seeded Mid-Pacific Wednesday.

Inouye, for one, was thankful for the run support.

"It's good to get runs in the beginning of the game," Inouye said. "It gives us more breathing room, so it's easier to finish the game."

The Trojans extended their lead with a single run in the fifth. Sean Sonognini drew a four-pitch walk before giving way to courtesy runner Blaine Demello, who advanced to second on a stolen base and third on a wild pitch by Kailua starter Joey Cantillo. Adam Connell followed with a single up the middle to plate Demello.

Mililani added an insurance run in the sixth when Ty Desa got on with a one-out single and came around to score on a Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi single to right field. Souza-Paaluhi finished 3 for 4 at the plate.

"I knew I just had to stay small and put the ball in play," said Souza-Paaluhi, who had three of his team's five stolen bases Thursday. "Coach Mark told me to use my speed and get on base and once I get on, he said to just make things happen."

Cantillo, who allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched, took the loss for the Surfriders.

The game was a rematch of an Oahu Interscholastic Association semifinal less than two weeks ago that Kailua rallied to win, 4-3.

"It feels great," Nakagawa said. "We worked so hard for this."

The Surfriders, who are ranked sixth in the ScoringLive/OC16 Baseball Power Rankings and finished second in the OIA, will play in the 1:30 p.m. third-place game Friday.

The 10th-ranked Trojans have won nine of their last 10 games and fourth straight to reach their second consecutive state final. They lost to Mid-Pacific in last year's championship game, 3-1.

"It means the world to us. It's been our dream ever since the beginning of the season and that's all we wanted to do, that's all that we've been working for," Inouye said. "All the boys have just been working hard every day in practice to get to this moment."

Mililani, which finished third in the OIA this season, was also unseeded in last year's state tournament and made an unlikely run to the title game.

"We had our opportunity last year and we didn't finish," Hirayama said. "We didn't get it done, but this is a new year with a different cast of characters and we're just taking it one game at a time and we've got another opportunity to finish what we couldn't do last year."