Brendan Uchima and the Cruasders set to face Allan Dong and the Buffanblu in a key ILH D1 affair. ScoringLive photo illustration

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There was a point when the Saint Louis baseball team was in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

That was just a couple of weeks ago, but things couldn't be more different now for the Crusaders (6-5), who enter Saturday's Interscholastic League of Honolulu showdown with Punahou, riding a four-game winning streak.

"We're pretty excited with the success," Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. "We've been working really hard and we were a little unlucky with some of the things that happened in the past. We had the opportunity to turn the tide in some of those four losses we had and we didn't, but it's great for us now that we are and it gives us a lot more confidence going forward."

Saint Louis, which is ranked ninth in this week's ScoringLive/OC16 Baseball Power Rankings, is currently in second place in the ILH Division I standings. Kamehameha is one-half game behind at 5-5, while Punahou sits one-and-a-half back of the Crusaders.

Saint Louis can clinch second place and the second seed in the ILH postseason tournament with a win Saturday, their final contest of the regular season.

The Crusaders have been led on the mound by hard throwing right-hander Pono Anderson, a University of Hawaii commit. The 6-foot-2 senior is 4.1 on the year with a 1.84 ERA. He has given up 29 hits with 18 strikeouts against 12 walks in 38 innings pitched.

"Our expectation was that Pono Anderson would be very good for us and he has not disappointed us on the mount," Gusman said. "At this point, a pleasant surprise is him offensively. He brings a lot of confidence and experience."

Gusman also praised the play of infielders Brendan Uchima, Keith Torres, Mana Manago and Tanner Atiburcio, as well as catcher Taylor Meilleur, who he calls one of the best in the state.

"Tanner's been hitting the ball well for us and Brendan Uchima is another key guy for us. Our defense has been pretty good," Gusman said. "Travis Tanaka and Ryder Kuhns have been doing good for us, but teams have recognized that and pitched around them, so we have other guys at this point getting the key hits and the key at-bats."

The Buffanblu, however, had have the Crusaders' number this season. They have won both previous meeting — 13-11 on March 7 and 7-5 on March 24 — and have won two of their last games on their schedule.

Not that it matters to Punahou coach Keenan Sue.

"The one thing we always tell the kids, I say it before every game, I ask them what our record is today and they know now that it's zero and zero," Sue said. "We try to approach every game like we haven't won or lost before that. If we make too much out of it they'll get overconfident or they could feel too much pressure, so our core philosophy is to try to treat every game as importantly as every other game."

Noah Goss and Adam Dong combined to go 6 for 9 at the plate against Saint Louis the first time the teams met. Dong drove in three runs and Jantzen Tamanaha added a pair of RBI in the win. Cole Cabrera provided much of the offense in the most recent meeting. He batted 2 for 3 with a triple and drove in three runs to cap a 12-hit day for Punahou.

"A bunch of kids have really stepped up. We have a young team with a lot of sophomores and they're all first-time starters," said Sue, a first-year varsity head coach. "Part of this year has been relearning how to win, sticking to the process and learning how to prepare properly. I always tell the kids that winning is a habit and it's not about the games that are a habit, it's the little things you do in between the games that makes it a habit. "

Sue has been especially pleased with the play of sophomore catcher Matthew Nakamoto.

"Our starting catcher (Hunter Chow) got into a collision at home plate in our Iolani game and he came to practice the next day and was fine," Sue said. "That weekend he developed a concussion and (Nakamoto) stepped in and he's done tremendous. He's just a good, hard-working kid; they've all been great."

Punahou was without a number of its assistants for Saturday's game against Kamehameha, forcing Nakamoto to call the pitches himself.

"He really stepped up to the plate," Sue said. "We've had guys step up with pinch hits, especially in that Kamehameha game, where they've come through in the clutch."

The Buffanblu won the game, 8-7.

"We've bounced back in a couple of come-from-behind wins where we showed some grit, so the kids are happy," Sue said. "The kids have been working so hard; they're all great."

Punahou, which is ranked eighth in the Power Rankings, is coming off its third shutout loss of the season in an 8-0 decision against Mid-Pacific Thursday.

"I feel like we do play well — we play well, play defense well, throw strikes, get ahead, make routine plays — then we can play with anybody, and it's the same thing for Saint Louis; they're dangerous, they can hit, play defense, they're the defending state champs, so we if both do the same thing it will be a great game," Sue said. "We're both definitely not wanting to give the game away, but whoever pitches better and plays defense better will win."

First pitch between the Crusaders and Buffanblu is set for 9 a.m. at Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park.