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Baldwin High School’s Levi Maddela follows through on a first-inning pitch. Maddela pitched two scoreless innings and smacked a two-run triple to lead the Bears to an 8-0 win over Kapaa on Thursday at Maehara Stadium. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

WAILUKU — Levi Maddela was overjoyed to be back in his element.

The University of Hawaii signee pitched two scoreless innings and smacked a two-run triple in the top of the first inning to lead his Baldwin High School baseball team to an 8-0 win over Kapaa in the Bears’ preseason opener on Thursday at Maehara Stadium.

The Bears were playing a game for the first time since their heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Waiakea in the state championship game on the same field last May.

“For sure, it’s good to be back after last year, it’s a grind, man,” the left-handed Maddela said. “Guys been grinding, getting stronger, and looking forward to this season.”

The high school baseball season got under way Thursday on the Valley Isle in the 46th Maui High School Baseball Tournament at renovated Maehara Stadium with a bunch of new faces and several familiar ones like Maddela, one of the stars returning from Baldwin’s state runner-up team last season.

He said signing with UH “gives me relief, but I’m not done yet and I need to keep working harder to try and earn a spot on the team next year.”

The close-call runner-up finish at state is driving these Bears.

“The boys been wanting it harder than ever,” Maddela said. “After last year, came in second, it’s been a grind and we want it even more this year.”

Anu Chaves smoked a one-out ground-rule double to left-center field in the top of the first inning, Kuhio Aloy walked, and Maddela followed with his triple to left-center to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.

Laakea Ko had an RBI single in the top of the second inning to make it 3-0 and added an RBI triple to right field in the fourth. Later in the fourth, the Bears added a run on a double steal to make it 5-0.

Kaleb Gaoiran’s sacrifice fly scored Maddela in the fifth to push the lead to 6-0. The Bears upped the lead to 8-0 on a sacrifice fly by Kip Watanabe and a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

The Bears’ defense was solid, committing just one error behind the combined two-hit pitching of Maddela, Aloy and Gaoiran. They got the second out of the bottom of the sixth when they threw out a runner at the plate on an attempted double steal.

“It’s been a long nine months, so to say, so we’re happy to be out here,” Baldwin head coach Craig Okita said. “The boys have worked pretty hard in the offseason, so I’m sure they’re excited as well just to get some action.”

Okita said the last game of 2022 drives this bunch.

“Well, I’m sure it stings, I mean it stings for me,” he said. “And I’m sure it stings for those guys. Our seniors, you know, hopefully we can send them out on a good note. It’s not easy to get back to the championship game, but that’s definitely our goal this year.”

Earlier in the day, former Baldwin head coach Shane Dudoit, who guided the Bears to the 2018 state crown and then left the Bears program after the 2019 season, made his debut as head coach for Kamehameha Maui in the Warriors’ 6-0 win over Kauai.

“It’s a lot of fun, just being around the kids again, it means a lot,” Dudoit said. “Seeing these guys grow from fall to spring, seeing them turning into young men with maturity, strength-wise, it’s fun. I missed it and am glad to be back.”

Dudoit knows how tough the Maui Interscholastic League is, especially at the Division I level.

“I think throughout the last 10-15 years, I think the strength of the league proves itself,” Dudoit said. “Like I always think every year is going to be a battle. You want to play those 1-0 games. To get to the state tournament is obviously everybody’s goal, but to play good baseball, to push other teams to get better, I mean that’s what we’re out here for.”

When asked how good his Warriors can be, Dudoit didn’t hesitate.

“I think they can be as good as they want to be,” he said. “It comes from them, we’re just the tool for them. They’ve got to want it more than we do. Of course, I do love this game a lot, but initially it needs to come from these players.

“If they want it bad enough, they can accomplish whatever they want to.”

Japheth Joaquin is a senior first baseman for the Warriors. He was happy to get his game in under foreboding skies in Wailuku all day Thursday — their game started at 1 p.m.

“I’ve actually been looking at the weather this whole week and I seen that the rain was supposed to start at 1, so we’ve been up for the game because we knew that our game might not get to play, so it’s really good,” Joaquin said.

Joaquin said working under Dudoit, who is also a scout in the Texas Rangers organization, has been a different vibe.

“It’s very different than what I’ve had before — it’s a lot of working on top of the small things because the small things is what makes us become big overall,” Joaquin said. “With this team, if we play how we’re supposed to, I think we can take it all the way to the state championship.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Baldwin210212–861

Kapaa000000–023

Levi Maddela, Kuhio Aloy (3), Kaleb Gaoiran (5) and Anu Chaves, Santana Sebastian (5); Keoki Ibaan, Kamekoina Thompson (5) and Kahelekipa Pa. W–Maddela. L–Ibaan. 2B–Baldwin, Chaves. 3B–Baldwin, Maddela, Laakea Ko.

Leading hitter–Baldwin, Ko 2-2, 2 RBIs.

• ROOSEVELT 6, LAHAINALUNA 2

Lahainaluna0010001–222

Roosevelt300003x–652

Aukai Hokoana, Dane Markulis (2), Aiden Amise (4), Kolaiah Villa (5), Lyrik Kahala (6) and Locklin Maier; Nate Kurano, Ayden Revera (3), Matthew Kaneshiro (5) and Kila Texeira. W–Kurano. L–Hokoana.

Leading hitter–Roosevelt, Revera 3-3, run, RBI.

• KAMEHAMEHA MAUI 6, KAUAI 0

6 innings

KS Maui000240–660

Kauai000000–031

Micah Torres, Noah Pacheco (3), Ethan Abihai-Phillips (5) and Duke Aloy; Tayden Beadle, Joshua Rego (2), Kapoino Sullivan (3), Evan Batalucco (4), Brennen Salazar-Bermudeza (5), Cyrus Fujimoto (5), Khyler Cabebe (6) and Andrew Sadamitsu. W–Pacheco. L–Batalucco.

Leading hitters–KS Maui, Ziah Chang 2-3, RBI; Shiloh Gilliland 2-3, 2 runs, RBI

• MARYKNOLL 4, MAUI HIGH 3

Maui High101010–343

Maryknoll20002x–475

Jonah Richardson. Akoni Fujihara-Olsten (4), Drechen Vinoray-Perreira )6) and Davind Vergel de Dios; Kory Chu, Cade Hedani (5), Nico Low (6) and Luke Swartman. W–Hedani. L–Fujihara-Olsten. Sv–Low. 2B–Maui High, Dawson Nuese.

Leading hitters–Maryknoll, Noah Nakaoka 2-3, run, 2 RBIs; Swartman 2-3, 2 RBIs.

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Abbie Anker

Update: 2024-05-17