Waimea’s small ball paid big dividends on Thursday.

The Menehunes returned to the championship game after a year away with a 9-4 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii in the first Division II semifinal of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.

"Surviving — that’s all we are doing," Waimea coach Michael Rita said. "We have to turn it on. It’s tournament play, and kids are coming through for the team."

Waimea, the 2010 champion, moves on to play Waipahu in today’s championship at 4 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Menehunes took advantage of a new pitcher to score six runs on three hits in the fourth inning and take a lead they never relinquished. Kamehameha-Hawaii starter Kupono Correa held Waimea to single runs in the first and third innings but twisted his ankle running to first. Nainoa Hart replaced him and the Menehunes’ plan took off.

"I told the team before the game you have to execute plays," Rita said. "We did well bunting and it meant a lot. We scouted them and they worked on it. We wanted to make the pitcher move."

Justin Silva led off the inning for Waimea with a four-pitch walk and Mikey Rita followed with a bunt single to first base. Jordan Kamakea tied the game at 3 with a flare to right field, and the Menehunes turned their attention to playing for one run with runners on the corners. Before the inning was out, they would score five more times.

BJ Freitas bunted back to Silva to move the runner over to second, but Silva committed an error to let the run score and give Waimea a 4-3 lead. Since it worked so well, Mikeo Rita did the same thing, and this time Silva’s throw hit him in the back on his way to first base, allowing another run to score. Brock Ephan hit a sacrifice fly to center field, his third RBI of the game, and Acetyn Emayo drove in another with a single into left field. Waimea capped the inning with another run on a delayed steal, giving up the third out for an 8-3 lead.

"We just didn’t execute, making poor decisions, missing signals for plays," Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Andrew Correa said. "I don’t think the ball left the infield. You know, you can’t help it, they put a lot of pressure on us and we didn’t respond."

Kamehameha-Hawaii was charged with six errors in the game to Waimea’s two. The Warriors left 10 runners on base, at least one in each inning. They kept hope alive with a run in the seventh on three hits to cut it to 9-4, but Mikeo Rita forced Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Nainoa Hart to ground to third to end it.

Waimea won the tournament in 2010 by scoring 32 runs in three tournament games and is doing it with defense this year. The Menehunes held Waialua to one run in the first round on Wednesday and held Kamehameha-Hawaii down after giving up three runs in the first two innings on Thursday.

"I’m expecting a battle," Waipahu coach Milton Takenaka said. "Hopefully we hit the ball, because I know they can pitch it."