Josh Saio took a perfect game into the fourth inning and finished with a four-hitter and 10 strikeouts yesterday to help Saint Louis shut out Baldwin, 7-0, in the first round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation Baseball State Division I Championships.

The Crusaders, improved to 18-4 in the regular and postseason, and will face No. 3 seed Waiakea (12-1) in today's 2 p.m. quarterfinal at Les Murakami Stadium.

Saio, a 5-foot-8 senior left-hander, walked none and limited the Bears (12-5) to two hits in the fourth inning and two in the seventh. He needed only 11 pitches to strike out the side in the first.

"I was feeling good right when I got here," Saio said. "I had my command right from the start; I only threw fastballs, that's all I needed to throw."

Saint Louis took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after leadoff batter Tamatoa DeMello was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on Danny Higa's single and scored on Kyle Gonzaga's single to left field.

The Crusaders made it 2-0 in the third when Moses Samia led off with a walk, advanced to second on a hit batter, took third on Cole Shidaki's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Kaden Kamoe's grounder to third.

Another sacrifice by Shidaki in the fifth again advanced Samia and Marcus Kimura, and both scored on Keoni Haina's double to put Saint Louis up, 4-0.

The Crusaders pushed it to 7-0 in the sixth after Gonzaga's run-scoring fielder's choice grounder and RBI singles by Kimura and Haina.

"We were still in the game at 1-0, 2-0 and even 4-0, but when you're facing a pitcher like that, he probably was content with one run," Bears coach Jon Viela said.

BALDWIN (12-5) 000 000 0—0 4 1

SAINT LOUIS (17-4) 101 023 X—7 8 0

Brock Shishido and James Uwekoolani. Joshua Saio and John Haina. W — Saio. L — Shishido.

Leading hitters — Baldwin: Jordan Negrini 2-3, double. Saint Louis: Joshua DeMello 2 runs; Kyle Gonzaga 2 RBIs; Moses Samia double, 3 runs; Marcus Kimura 3-3; John Haina 2-3, double, 3 RBIs.

Reported by Kyle Galdeira

Read Wes' blog on prep sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com.