Kaeo Aliviado scattered seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game effort and went 3 for 3 with two doubles and one RBI yesterday to help Saint Louis hold off Punahou, 6-1, in Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball action.
The victory at Ala Wai Field improved the Crusaders to 14-0 in league play and secured a state tournament berth since they can finish no worse than second place. The ILH will receive only two state tournament berths this season, and there is no league tournament.
Punahou, the seven-time defending state champion, fell to 6-5 and is still mathematically in the hunt for a state tourney berth -- but the Buffanblu's chances are fading fast since they trail second-place Mid-Pacific (11-3) by three-and-a-half games with seven to play, including one against Saint Louis at 3:45 p.m. Monday and three vs. MPI the week of April 19.
The Owls' "magic number" -- any combination of Mid-Pacific wins and Punahou losses -- to clinch at least a tie for second place is two. That could happen as soon as Monday, since the Owls play host to Kamehameha on Monday at the same time the Buffanblu face the Crusaders.
Saint Louis, meanwhile, maintained its perfect record yesterday with the same formula that its success has been built on all season: Solid pitching, defense, hitting, base-running and execution.
Punahou took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after Lanson Yamamoto reached on a fielder's choice groundout, advanced to third on Michael Suiter's single and an outfield error and scored on Rick Nomura's sacrifice fly to right.
But the Crusaders answered with two runs in the second after an error on LJ Kalawaia's grounder to first scored Kalei Contrades from third and Iolana Akau's squeeze bunt which plated Ka'ai Tom.
They made it 4-1 in the third after Contrades' RBI single to center and Dallas Correa was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Buffanblu loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but Aliviado got two straight batters on called third strikes to escape the jam.
"Coach (George Gusman) came out and just told me to throw strikes," said Aliviado, a 5 foot 8 senior left-hander. "I got too comfortable (in loading the bases), so I had to get back to being focused. Punahou is a good hitting team, so I had to keep the ball low and let my defense do the work, and they did."
Gusman said he was concerned about Aliviado's pitch count, but Aliviado assured him he was OK.
"He's a competitor," Gusman said. "He said, 'Coach, I'm finishing this.'"
Saint Louis got two more insurance runs in the seventh after a throwing error on Aliviado's RBI infield single and a wild pitch. Punahou then got their first two batters aboard in the seventh, but Aliviado set down the next three in order to close out the victory.