Maryknoll's Michael Nishiki slides into home plate safely to score a run against Kauai. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Maryknoll's Chase Uyema throws a pitch to the plate against Kauai. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kauai's Shane Ogata gets airborne as a Maryknoll player slides in safely at first. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Maryknoll's Justin Ushio makes a throw to second base against Kauai. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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MANOA — For the second straight day, Maryknoll busted out the bats in a big way.

Four different players drove in two runs each and Chase Uyema allowed one run over five innings to lift Maryknoll to a 12-3 win over Kauai in a semifinal game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships at Les Murakami Stadium Thursday afternoon.

The Spartans, who won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and are the top seeded in the tournament, got 14 hits off of Red Raider pitching to improve to 17-3 on the season. They will play second-seeded Kamehameha-Hawaii, which beat Waianae in the other semifinal Thursday, 12-2.

"It's very nice to get back to the title game," Maryknoll coach Randy Yamashiro said. "It's always been our goal every year and since we got done last May. We set our sights on going to the state tournament (as the top seed) and try to win it, so it's really gratifying."

Uyema scattered five hits in his first innings of work before giving way to Justin Ushio, who allowed two runs in the final two innings.

"He did awesome," Ushio said of Uyema. "He did a wonderful job. We couldn't ask for anything more and all we really needed him to do is throw strikes and have the defense do their job and that's what he did."

Maryknoll got on the board in the bottom of the second on a Phillip Aylward RBI single. An inning later, they sent 11 batters to the plate and got six runs on five hits and were aided by three walks.

"We knew Kauai was going to be a good team, so we knew that we would have to buckle down and adjust to the pitcher and were were able to do that and score runs in that third inning," said Ushio, who had a two-run single in the inning.

The Spartans batted around in the fourth inning and plated three more runs, including two on bases-loaded walks, to take a 10-0 lead. Kauai issued six walks in all.

"Especially at this juncture of the season, you've got to be disciplined because when you face quality teams — say Kauai or even (Friday) night — you've got to be disciplined," Yamashiro said. "You cannot give stuff away, you have to always be competitive."

The Red Raiders finally broke through in the top of the fifth with a single run and added two more in the sixth, but Ushio stranded two runners to get out of the jam.

Ushio and Uyema are both senior captains and were members of last year's state title game.

"It helps because we understand how much hard work and what it takes to play at a championship level, so we can always help the little kids and some of our other players and cheer them up and get back back in the game," Uyema said.

Maryknoll and Kamehameha-Hawaii will face off in the title game for the second consecutive year. The Spartans routed the Warriors last year, 14-0. They are seeking their third state championship since 2009. Kamehameha-Hawaii is 0-2 all-time in title games.

First pitch Friday is set for 4 p.m.