The Kamehameha Maui varsity baseball team defeated King Kekaulike 8-6 Saturday, April 8, at Maui High School.

In the first four innings, both teams were up and down quickly, and the score was 4-3 by the top of the fifth inning. Warriors had scored in the first and third innings.

In the sixth inning,  the Warriors switched up their batting game by bunting, and sophomore Cal Alexander came home on an RBI followed by , senior Jarred Pulido, who batted a double and came home on a hit, putting the Warriors in the lead 6-3..

Nā Aliʻi made a comeback in the bottom of the sixth when the Warriors’ fielding fell short, and the score was tied again at 6-6.

“We kept our intensity up, and we never gave up,” left fielder Andrew Park-Murray said.

KS Maui batted first in the last inning. Sophomore Travis “TJ” Kanamu came home on his next at bat, putting the Warriors up one point. Senior Jarred Pulido advanced to third base on a hit and an error, and another hit by freshman Chase Newton brought him home.

Thibodeaux, who had been pitching throughout the game, was replaced by Kaimi Gilliland after one out in the bottom of the seventh. Gilliland held King Kekaulike to no runs, bringing the final score of the game to 8-6 and increasing the Warriors’ record to 2-7, the same as Lāhainaluna High School.

The Maui Warriors and Lunas will face off in a three-game series this Wednesday-Friday at Maehara stadium. If the Warriors can shut out the Lunas, they will finish their season in third place, with a shot at the state tournament still a possibility if they can place first or second in the D1 tournament April 18-21.

“We just have to prepare ourselvfes mentally and physically for this last series, as we know that Lāhaina is capable of beating Baldwin, so we have to come out on top in this series, to give us a shot at participating in the state tournament,” senior Trey Fernandez said.