Maui team wins state Little League title

Central East Maui won twice Tuesday to win the coveted state Little League (ages 11-12) championship.

Central East Maui defeated Makakilo-Kapolei-Honokai Hale 8-4 to force a winner-take-all finale at War Memorial Field in Wailuku. The Maui team’s 8-1 victory then secured the state title and a trip to San Bernardino, Calif., for the Western Regional.

This age group has most of its regional championships telecast on ESPN and leads to the World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Last year, Waipio advanced to Williamsport and went on to win the U.S. championship before losing to Japan for the overall title.

"I woke up this morning knowing the kids had to win two games and I knew we had our top two pitchers," Maui coach Bernard Napa Kaupe said. "I was just hoping they would come through all the way."

Central East Maui, the District 3 representative, lost to MKH 3-2 on Sunday and defeated Kaneohe in an elimination game on Monday.

Kawena Alo-Kaonohi went 6 2⁄3 innings to earn the win in Tuesday’s rematch with MKH. Nawai Kaupe, the coach’s daughter, then tossed a complete-game and hit a three-run homer in the final. Makana Sakamoto contributed a two-run double as Maui won the state championship a year after falling to Waipio.

"We hadn’t hit the whole tournament and today we scored 16 runs," Bernard Kaupe said. "Offensively, we came together."

Koga leads Hawaii golfers into match play

Hawaii state high school champion Eimi Koga fired the day’s low round — a 3-under-par 69 — to lead all five Hawaii qualifiers into match play Tuesday at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Illinois. Koga, 15, eagled the 11th hole, knocking in an 8-iron from 130 yards out.

The Moanalua High School junior had a two-day score of 1-over 145, which left her third in the stroke-play qualifying portion. Medalist Ariya Jutanugarn, from Thailand, was the only golfer to break par at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club, finishing at 72—140.

Mariel Galdiano, a Maryknoll eighth-grader, tied for 14th at 75—148. Punahou’s Kacie Komoto (75—149) and Allisen Corpuz (73—150) both finished in the top 30. ‘Iolani senior Marissa Chow (80—154) earned a share of 62nd to claim one of the final spots in match play, which begins today.

At the U.S. Junior Amateur in Bremerton, Wash., Lahaina’s Aaron Kunitomo (73—151) was the only Hawaii boy to advance to match play. Kunitomo tied for 47th, while state high school champion Lorens Chan (74—153) missed the cut by a shot and Trey Kidd (79—155) missed by three.

BYUH signs power-hitting freshman

Brigham Young-Hawaii has signed power-hitting corner infielder Bailey Banbury to a national letter of intent to play in the upcoming softball season.

Banbury, from Glendale, Ariz., played for Mountain Ridge High School and the Arizona Desert Shock club program.

Banbury, who earned a 4.21 GPA and graduated in the top 10 percent in her class, hit over .440 throughout her high school career.

FOOTBALL

Debt-ridden UFL delays its start

OMAHA, Neb. » With the NFL working to end its lockout and save the preseason, the struggling United Football League announced Tuesday it would push back the start of its games from August to September.

The schedule switch is another blow — at a critical time — to the second-tier pro league that has lost more than $100 million in its two years of existence.

The league is made up of players who were cut in NFL training camps, veterans who want to get back to the NFL and free agents.

Former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan is one of five former Warriors on the roster of the Hartford Colonials, who are coached by former UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville.

The UFL had hoped to gain exposure in the vacuum left by a locked-out NFL. It scheduled several early-season games on Sundays and aimed to fill television time slots normally reserved for NFL exhibition games.

But Commissioner Michael Huyghue told reporters he was resigned to losing a “windfall” from the NFL.

“It seems nonsensical for us to play on Sundays when the NFL is there,” Huyghue said. “The only reason we did it was we hedged our bet and felt confident the labor situation was going to invade the traditional preseason, and that might be inducement for networks to want to fill that void with a high-quality football product. That is not the case.”