The Mililani baseball team is one win away from claiming the ultimate prize, and they have Zayne Hookala to thank for paving the way. The Hawaii commit delivered a masterful performance on the mound, guiding the Trojans to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Kamehameha in the semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium on Friday.

This win puts Mililani in familiar territory—they've reached the championship game three times before, only to fall short against ILH opponents in 2013, 2014, and 2019. Now, they'll get another shot at redemption when they face Pac-Five of the ILH in tonight's final at 7 p.m. on the Manoa campus.

Hookala was the star of the show, keeping Kamehameha's batters off-balance all game long. He allowed just six singles and struck out three, with both of the Warriors' runs coming as unearned. "I love this place, it's amazing the atmosphere," Hookala said of his future home field. "For four years I have been trying to get to the state championship and I finally got here with my boys."

The game wasn't without its drama, though. The ILH champion Warriors mounted a fierce rally in the seventh inning. Tyson Uyehara drew the first walk Mililani had allowed all tournament, and Mahiehie Kawai followed with a blast to left field that was misplayed for a single. After a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Caleb Flores, Coen Sardinha walked to put the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first with two outs. But Kaikea Patoc-Young swung at the first pitch he saw and bounced a ball to the right side, where first baseman Jonah Parker fielded it and threw to second to seal the win and start the celebration.

"I knew it, I just felt like they were going to have their best inning in the last inning," Hookala said. "I just had to calm myself down. I just wanted to mix it up. I know they are a good fastball-hitting team, so I didn't want to give them anything to smash, even though they did. It's all right, it happens."

Hookala threw 100 pitches, finishing the game on his final delivery. The Mililani bullpen was the only quiet place in the stadium, as their ace refused to come out. "He is a competitor, he wasn't coming out for sure," Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said. "We just trust what he has and have the guys behind him to back him up. He has been the same guy his whole high school career. He is a guy who wants to be in the big situations and fortunately he was able to go today."

The Trojans jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, showing their aggressive approach at the plate. Koa Marzo and Knox Marzo greeted Kamehameha starter Patoc-Young with back-to-back singles, and a pickoff attempt thrown into center field moved the runners up. Parker then brought them home with a pop fly that landed perfectly in front of the Hawaii logo. "They had a great pitcher on the mound. We had to be aggressive and hit the first good strike we see," Hirayama said. "If that's what it takes, that's what it takes."

Now, Mililani stands on the brink of history. With their ace leading the way and a team that's been battle-tested, they'll look to finally break through and bring home the championship.