Hawaii loses recruit to Mariners

Hawaii baseball recruit Luke Taylor informed Rainbows coach Mike Trapasso yesterday that he will sign with the Seattle Mariners.

Taylor, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, was picked in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft last week.

He joins catcher Keanu Carmichael and pitchers Charles Kaalekahi and Kenny McDowall as 2011 UH signees drafted that elected to sign with professional teams.

The Rainbows also lost juniors Greg Garcia, David Freitas, Josh Slaats and Sam Spangler to the draft.

Clay withdraws from Fortuna meet

Olympic decathlon champion and Castle High alum Bryan Clay has withdrawn from the TNT-Fortuna meet in the Czech Republic because of an injury suffered in the opening event.

Clay was leading his 100-meter heat on Tuesday when he had to slow down, eventually crossing the line in 14.05 seconds.

Meeting co-director Tomas Dvorak says Clay has a groin problem.

Clay says, "Nothing serious. It hurts but not terrible."

The meet was part of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge and was Clay’s last of the season.

Fujikawa flirting with top 20

Moanalua High School graduate Tadd Fujikawa fired a 4-under-par 67 for the second straight round yesterday and has a share of 20th halfway through the eGolf Tour’s Bolle Classic.

The tournament is being played at Country Club of Salisbury and Sapona Country Club, in Lexington, N.C.

The leader is former Nationwide Tour member Lee Williams, who shot consecutive 64s.

Fujikawa shot a 32 on the front nine, with a bogey. He had seven birdies in all, with a double-bogey on the back nine.

Shooting fair begins tomorrow

The Hawaii Rifle Association’s 17th annual Shooting Fair is scheduled for tomorrow and Sunday at the Koko Head Shooting Complex.

Among the types of weapons available to try are hunting and cowboy firearms, air guns, muzzleloaders, rifles, military small arms – including Civil War-era – and archery equipment. Eye and ear protection are mandatory and available for purchase on site.

The event runs from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m .tomorrow, and 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday. Sign-ins, safety briefings and script available at the main tent.

For more information, call Harvey Gerwig at 306-7194. The Web site is www.hawaiirifleassociation.org.