Buffanblu shortstop Kyson Donahue came on the mound in the final inning to punch out two batters and punch Punahou's ticket into the state tournament. Spencer Honda | SL

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WAIPAHU — Deja vu.

Seventh-ranked Punahou jumped out to a huge lead before Saint Louis marched its way back into the ballgame but ultimately fell short, 10-7, Wednesday afternoon at Hans L'Orange Field in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu second round tournament elimination game.

If it sounds all too familiar that's because just one week ago, the two squads faced off at the same field to close out the ILH first round regular season. The Buffanblu had a 12-0 lead after two innings, but the Crusaders put up eight runs the rest of the way and threatened with bases loaded in the last frame before succumbing, 12-8.

On Wednesday afternoon, Punahou plated six runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 10-1 lead before Saint Louis came back with four runs to cut into the deficit in the top half of the fifth inning and then scored in the sixth and seventh to make it a three-run game.

"It's not to get four runs back but maybe get half. Get a run here," Saint Louis coach George Gusman said of what he told his team before the fifth inning. "Even when it was 10-1, it was, ‘let's go get three,' and we ended up getting four. That's the way we thought we'd attack it. There's no six-run homers."

Just like the week before, Buffanblu shortstop Kyson Donahue came onto the mound to close it out on one out with bases loaded, and despite walking in the run, he struck out the side to preserve the win.

"If you ask any coach if they want a 6-foot-3 righty that throws from the three-quarter slot, I think they'll probably say they want that guy, " Punahou coach Keenan Sue said of using Donahue as a closer with only four appearances in the season. "I don't think he had his 'A' game there. Maybe he was at 80 percent, but he brought 100 percent of his 80 percent if that makes any sense."

Donahue's game-ending punch out also punched Punahou's ticket into next month's Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I State Tournament along with Mid-Pacific (14-3) and Iolani (13-4-1) from the ILH. The Owls won the first round title with the Raiders and Buffanblu following in order in the final standings. The three teams are also the last remaining in the second round tournament, thus they all clinch a spot. It is the first time since 2012 that the ILH has three berths for states.

However, the ILH overall championship and seeded berth with a first round bye is still up for grabs. Punahou will play Iolani Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park in the loser's bracket final. The Raiders lost to Mid-Pacific on a 7-6 walk-off on Tuesday.

"Today was kind of do-or-die for us in our mind," Sue said. "Saint Louis never ever gives up. PAC-5 didn't give up the other day and beat Kamehameha. The great thing about the ILH is that anybody can beat anybody."

The winner will play the Owls Friday and will have to beat them twice to claim the ILH second round title and force a playoff for the overall championship.

"It definitely brings a lot more ease and we can play with a lot more confidence more than we actually do right now," Donahue said. "With the state tournament locked up, we can just play and have fun. Maybe get everyone in. Get more reps. Get more confidence."

Defending league champion Saint Louis ends its season at 8-11.

"We fought. We just seem to make mistakes at the wrong time. But nobody goes out there trying to make errors," Gusman said. "We're young and we'll be back. I guarantee that. We'll take a couple days off and we're back at practice next week with all the returnees. It'll be exciting for us next year, I think."

Hanging above Punahou's dugout on the third base side was the No. 21 jersey in honor of former left-handed pitcher Marcus Yoshii, a Mililani native and Buffanblu class of 2011 graduate who passed away April 20 in a single-vehicle crash in Stockton, California.

Sue, along with many of the other coaches on staff, had coached the Punahou junior varsity program throughout the 2000s with Yoshii coming through as an underclassman.

"It hit all of us hard," Sue said, whose voice started to break. "Long after baseball is done, the only thing that's left are the guys next to you. It's just sad for all of us."

As a sophomore in 2009, Yoshii pitched six innings in three appearances with one start in Punahou's four state tournament games on the way to capturing a sixth-straight championship.