Dane Kinoshita should've known better than to shake off his catcher. Otherwise, he might have had a shutout instead.

The senior right-hander fired a three-hitter to carry Mid-Pacific Institute to a 3-1 win over 'Aiea in an opening-round game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State High School baseball tournament last night at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Owls (16-4) will play second-seeded Pearl City in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal today.

Na Ali'i scored their only run in the third when Ricky Itagaki drilled an 0-2 slider to right for a triple and eventually scored on Brennan Alejo's sacrifice fly to center.

"I knew I shouldn't have shook off Aaron," Kinoshita said, with a smile, of a fastball called by his batterymate Aaron Fujiki, who has signed to play with San Diego State.

It was only the second time in the game that he allowed a runner beyond second base. Kinoshita pitched himself out of a first-and-third jam when he got Tyler Abasial to ground to short for a force to strand the runners. On a 2-2 pitch, he threw a fastball away that the right-handed hitting Abasial lined foul to right.

"The next pitch I came inside with a fastball and the ground ball," said Kinoshita, anticipating that Abasial might be looking for another fastball away.

Kinoshita walked two and struck out four.

He also had some nice defensive plays behind him. Shortstop Wade Tamaru made a nice stop on a grounder up the middle and fired to first in the fifth inning, second baseman Russell Doi made a backhand stop of a grounder up the middle to turn a force at second in the sixth and first baseman Easton Torigoe used some fancy foot work to keep his foot on the bag on a wide throw also in the sixth.

MID-PACIFIC (16-4) 120 000 0—3 7 1

'AIEA (9-7) 001 000 0—1 3 3

Dane Kinoshita and Aaron Fujiki. Randy Castillo and Carson Tsuruda. W—Kinoshita. L—Castillo.

Leading hitters—Mid-Pacific: Easton Torigoe double; Russell Doi 2-3. 'Aiea: Ricky Itagaki triple; Brennan Alejo double.