The victory at MPI's Damon Field improved the Crusaders to 11-0 in league play, two games ahead of the second-place Owls (9-2). The teams conclude their three-game series at 6:30 p.m. today at Ala Wai Field.

Aliviado, a 5 foot 8 senior left-hander who played first base for West O'ahu's 2005 LLWS championship team, allowed a game-tying solo home run to Marcus Doi in the bottom of the first inning but Mid-Pac advanced only three runners past second base after that. He struck out five, including Doi for the final out with Justin Protacio at third.

"We knew this game was gonna be big for us," said Aliviado, a 2010 Honolulu Advertiser All-State center fielder who has signed a national letter of intent to play fo the University of Hawai'i. "I tried to be careful, because (the Owls) have a good program with good hitters. I just tried to keep the ball low and let them put the ball in play, and fortunately our defense got the outs."

Saint Louis got Aliviado some quick offensive support, with Derek Nakasato leading off the game with a single to center field, advancing to second on Tre Haliburton-Goeas' sacrifice bunt and scoring on Travis Shaw's single to left.

Doi tied it with his solo blast over the center field fence in the bottom half, but the Crusaders got the lead back in the third after Haliburton-Goeas singling with one out, reaching third on Aliviado's double to left-center and scored on Shaw's sacrifice fly to left.

They made it 3-1 in the fourth on a solo shot to center by Akau -- a standout on Waipi'o's 2008 Little League World Series championship squad -- but MPI closed it to 3-2 in the fifth after Protacio hit a one-out single and scored on Doi's two-out double to right. Saint Louis then got an insurance run in the sixth as Dallas Correa singled to center, advanced to second on Akau's sacrifice bunt and scored on Haliburton-Goeas' single to right.

The Owls threatened in the seventh when Protacio singled with one out, stole second and reached third on Nik Alarcio's groundout. But Aliviado ended it by striking out Doi.

"Kaeo was struggling with his curve, but when he got it over for a strike that set up the fastball," Crusaders coach George Gusman said of the final out.

Haliburton-Goeas went 2 for 2, Kalei Contrades went 2 for 3 and Aliviado and Nakasato each went 2 for 4. Doi went 2 for 3 and Protacio went 2 for 4.

Saint Louis got 12 hits off MPI starter Lawrence Chew, another 2010 Advertiser All-State selection who signed with UH.

"Coach prepared us well," Aliviado said. "He made us face a lot of lefties at practice."