MIL Baseball
Game of the Week Rewind - Baldwin vs. Maui, Apr. 8, 2016


 



Fri, Apr 8, 2016 @ [ 5:30 pm ]


FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Baldwin 1 0211005102
Maui 0 0 00010155

W: Kawena Alo-Kaonohi    L: Treston Carter

MAUI: Kao Mindoro 1-3 run; Jyrah Lalim 3.0 IP 1 ER 3 K
BAL: Damien Awai 2-3 2 runs rbi dbl trp; Kawena Alo-Kaonohi 7.0 IP 0 ER 3 K


Editor's note: As the suspension of all prep sports continues, each week we will take a look back at a game of significance from the same week of past seasons we've covered. Along with a brief summary of the game itself, we'll review the impact it had on the winning team's season and reflect upon some of the then-seniors who played a part in it.

GAME RECAP

After two days of rainouts, game 1 of the three-game series between rivals Baldwin and Maui High to conclude the Maui Interscholastic League regular season took place on a Friday (rather than its originally-scheduled Wednesday date) at the venerable Iron Maehara Stadium in Wailuku.

The Bears rapped out 10 hits to back Kawena Alo-Kaonohi's complete-game, five-hitter. The senior right-hander threw 60 of his 81 total pitches for strikes and did not walk a batter. Alo-Kaonohi registered first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 27 batters he faced. He struck out three Sabers on the day and reached a three-ball count just once. The only run he allowed was unearned. Of the three times a Maui High batter successfully reached base to lead-off an inning, none of them came around to score.

Alo-Kaonohi was one of four Baldwin players to pair hits, along with shortstop and lead-off batter Haloa Dudoit, left fielder Damien Awai and first baseman Nainoa Keahi.

Baldwin, which was designated as the visitor, jumped out to an early lead on Nawai Ah Yen's RBI-single in the top of the first inning. Ah Yen scored in the third inning on an Awai double down the left field line for one of the Bears' two runs in the frame. Ah Yen drove in another run with his sac fly in the fourth inning to score Dudoit. Baldwin stretched its lead to 5-0 on Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa's fifth-inning sac fly to plate Awai.

Maui High scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Kao Mindoro crossed the plate on a double-steal.

The Bears, who started off the week ranked seventh in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, improved to 10-0 win the win, while the sixth-ranked Sabers fell to 9-1.


THE IMPACT

Baldwin went on to clinch the top seed in the MIL Division I tournament with a 4-3 win over Maui the following Monday and wrapped up a three-game sweep with Tuesday's 1-0 victory. The Bears finished 14-0 in league play and earned the No. 2 seed in the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Championships.

The 12-team tournament was held at Maehara Stadium that year and Baldwin reeled off three wins in as many days (beat Waipahu, 7-1, in quarters; beat Campbell, 3-2, in semis; beat Pearl City, 5-1, in title game) to capture its fifth (of six total) state championships in program history. It was the school's first state crown since 1995.

The Bears finished the year with a perfect 17-0 record and became the first state champion to complete an undefeated season since Waiakea finished 20-0 in 2012.

Alo-Kaonohi, the state tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and Dudoit were recognized as co-MIL Players of the Year in D1 by The Maui News. Four others (Keahi, Ah Yen, pitcher Damien Awai and third baseman Chayce Akaka) were also selected to the first team. Jon Viela, in his final season as coach of his alma mater, was tabbed league Coach of the Year.

Baldwin was well-represented in the All-Hawaii selections, headlined by D1 Player of the Year Alo-Kaonohi. Dudoit and Ah Yen were Second Team selections, while Viela picked up Coach of the Year honors.

Over the course of his 10-year tenure leading the Bears, Viela posted a 135-31 coaching record. He left the program that summer to take over as athletic director at Kamehameha-Maui.


HE SAID IT

"That year we were dealing with a lot of rain. If you recall, we had rain on the final day of the state tournament as well. Anyway, that series was the long-awaited series for everyone — players, coaches, schools, the community, even the state — and as the rain continued the hype of the game sort of diminished. It was important for my coaches and I to keep that hype and not lose focus, (but) because our four seniors were very strong as leaders, this task was not at all difficult. The way the MIL is set-up with three-game series, it's important to win the first game. Nevertheless, a second win is just as important for the tiebreaker. Having Kawena, our No. 1 day starter, pitch the way he did was not unexpected. This long-awaited game proved to be important for the momentum for the rest of the season. It was important for our players to know that his one game was not the clincher and that we still needed to win the series, as well as the season championship. Having the Maui High series at the end of the schedule and rolling into the MIL tournament — and hopefully the state tournament — was pivotal for our momentum." -Jon Viela

Viela reflected upon some of the seniors on that team.

Nawai Ah Yen: "He swung a hot bat throughout the season and was very consistent. He was a strong leader as well, played the game hard and respected the game."

Kawena Alo-Kaonohi: "He played as if there was no tomorrow, laid everything out on the field daily and played with no fear. He came up clutch throughout the season and was very consistent on the mound; he threw a lot of strikes and minimized his walks."

Haloa Dudoit: "He played an important role as a leader. He had great leadership skills and rallied everyone to buy-in, work hard and do their part. Haloa was an extension of our coaching staff because of his knwoledge of the game, an attribute to his dad (Shane)."

Taje Akaka: "He's a great example of a good person, great team player and leader. He was up to any challenge. He stepped into the catching role (due to the injury to Cade Kalehuawehe) without hesistation. For that fact, he did an exceptional job."


MOVING FORWARD

"This group had a primary goal of winning the MIL and a secondary goal of winning states. Haloa and Nawai were consistent all season at the plate. This team found ways to manufacture runs. Overall, this team was very resilient and believed in our system. The team knew that when we have good pitching and play stellar defense, we have a very good chance to win games. These seniors created a brotherhood that still exists; this bond will probably never be broken. The seniors created a winning environment by showing they can win, regardless of their size and strength. Like all Baldwin baseball teams, these young men created their own legacy. Through this legacy, they showed that Baldwin baseball is a state contender year-in and year-out." -Viela

Shane Dudoit, an assistant under Viela in the latter's final seven seasons at Baldwin, took over as coach of the Bears early in 2017 and led the program to three MIL championships in his three seasons there, including a state title in 2018.

Craig Okita was hired as the program's fourth head coach since 1990 in July of 2019. He previously was the school's JV coach.

Baldwin, which is seeking an 11th consecutive MIL title, was ranked No. 2 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings when the HHSAA's announcement of an indefinite suspension of all prep sports was made on March 13. The Bears compiled an 9-1 record in the preseason and were slated to open league play against Kekaulike on March 24.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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