WAILUKU — Kaden Tabil missed the Moloka'i High School baseball team's last big trip to Maui because of his senior English project. Yesterday, he made the most of his final venture to the Valley Isle as a prep athlete.

Now, he and his teammates have their tickets punched to the Division II state tournament on O'ahu.

Moloka'i (6-6) got there with an 8-4 win over Seabury Hall (2-10) in the semifinals of the Maui Interscholastic League D-II tournament at Maehara Stadium. After falling behind 4-0 through 3 1/2 innings, the Farmers scored the game's final eight runs.

The biggest blow was a bases-loaded double off the bat of Tabil that gave the Farmers a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Farmers return to a state baseball tournament for the first time since they won the second of their back-to-back state titles in 2000 at Maehara Stadium when there was just one level of state play.

''It has been eight years since we have been to the state tournament and it feels great to be part of the team to get back there,'' Tabil said to The Maui News

The Spartans used a couple of fortunate bounces to take their 4-0 lead. In the top of the first, Sam Chesick tripled home Chris Sugidono, who reached after a passed ball on strike three. One out later, Chesick scored on a slow bouncer by Michael Palmer that glanced off the glove of Molokai pitcher Scottie Rapanot Jr.

In the fourth, the Spartans doubled their lead when Adrian Rimm walked, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and then scored on a double by Sugidono. Sugidono advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a single to center by Chesick.

Molokai finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth when Joseph Akaka was hit by a pitch to lead off, advanced to second on a base hit by Keaka Kamakana and then Akaka scored on a two-base error in the outfield on the hit by Kamakana.

Kamakana's hit was the first of the game off of Kaikona Hendershot, who induced nine popouts through four innings, five of them on first pitches.

''We were just swinging at first pitches, at pitches we are not supposed to,'' interim Moloka'i head coach Paki Kamakana said. ''Later we told the boys to take some pitches and it seemed to work. They knew the state tournament was on the line and I think they were pressing a little bit.''

Paki Kamakana, Keaka's father, moved up from assistant to head coach on Tuesday when Clarence Loo stepped down at practice.

''Clarence was having a hard time with the parents involved,'' Paki Kamakana said. ''It is hard to say exactly why he left, but I think he thought it was the best thing for the team. I know I had to sweat there in my debut.''

The Farmers made it 4-2 in the fifth when Tabil singled home Collien Hirashima, who doubled to lead off.

Rapanot brought the Farmers within a run when his sacrifice fly plated Tabil, who stole second and took third on a passed ball.

As the Farmers closed in, Rapanot found his groove. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced, and didn't allow a ball out of the infield in the process, in a complete-game six-hitter. Rapanot struck out eight, walked one and hit one.

''When Scottie got into his rhythm, that got us going,'' Paki Kamakana said.

That helped set the stage for Tabil's game-winning hit in the sixth. Tabil stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. He smacked his bases-clearing double down the left-field line on a 2-2 count on a curve ball to make it 7-4. Tabil later scored on an error.

Tabil missed last weekend's series against St. Anthony when the regular-season D-II title was on the line, and arrived on Maui three hours before gametime Thursday after completing his English project. He will get the ball on the mound tonight at 6 against the Trojans (10-2) in the tournament final. A Moloka'i win tonight would set up a winner-take-all playoff game for the D-II title tomorrow for the two teams that know they will be the MIL's representatives at state next month. A St. Anthony win would wrap up the MIL D-II title for the Trojans.

Seabury Hall saw its upset bid fall short and its season end.

''Moloka'i is a tough ball club,'' Seabury Hall coach John Plunkett said. ''We expected they would make that run, but we hoped to hold them off. Kaikona pitched a heck of a game. He kept them off balance, but I guess it was just a matter of time. That ball that Tabil hit was a solid pitch.''

Tabil and Chesick were the only players with two hits in the game.

Seabury Hall 200 200 0—4 6 3

Moloka'i 000 125 x—8 6 2

Kaikona Hendershot, Michael Palmer (6) and Sam Chesick. Scottie Rapanot Jr. and Aukai Rawlins. W—Rapanot. L—Hendershot.

2B—SH, Chris Sugidono; M, Collien Hirashima, Kaden Tabil. 3B—SH, Chesick.

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