Honolulu Little League completed a dominant regional run with a 16-3 win over Southern California on Thursday in Bend, Ore., to advance to next week’s Junior League Baseball World Series.
The Honolulu 14U team went 4-0 in the West Regional and outscored its opponents 54-7 in earning a spot in the JLBWS in Taylor, Mich. The team is scheduled to leave Oregon today and opens the World Series against the host team from Taylor on Sunday. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. The championship game between the U.S. and International champions will be shown on ESPN2 on Aug. 21.
Honolulu trailed 3-1 going into the third inning of Thursday’s game against 4S Ranch Little League (San Diego) but took control with an eight-run outburst in the top of the third and added seven more runs in the fourth. Shortstop Jayden Oshiro drove in three runs, two on a triple in the fourth. Oufielder Ace Arizumi went 3-for-5 drove in two runs and nine Honolulu players had at least one RBI. Starter Kasyn Amazaki earned the pitching win and Cooper Konishi threw 32⁄3 innings of scoreless relief in Honolulu’s run-rule victory.
Honolulu Little League’s younger group will play for a spot in the Little League World Series today. Honolulu faces Sidewinder Little League (Ariz.) in the West Region final in San Bernardino, Calif., with the winner moving on to the LLWS in Williamsport, Pa. The game will be televised on ESPN at 3 p.m.
Macfarlane misses weight for MMA fight
Former Bellator flyweight world champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane missed weight by 3 pounds for her fight tonight against Bruna Ellen at Bellator 284 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Punahou alumna weighed in at 129 pounds and missed weight for the first time in her career.
Macfarlane (11-2) will forfeit a portion of her purse to Ellen for missing weight. Ellen weighed in at 125.6 pounds.
Macfarlane said Wednesday that she plans to step away from fighting after she fights out the rest of her contract. She has four fights remaining on her deal, including the one tonight.
“I don’t want to say my fighting career is done for good, but I just think that for the time being, I need a break,” Macfarlane said. “If all goes well, I would like to retire in Hawaii. I don’t think that there’s any other option. That would be the ideal option, but we’ll see what Bellator has planned.”
3 more selected to Polynesian Bowl
Kahuku’s Kainoa Carvalho and Brock Fonoimoana and Waianae’s Josiah Timoteo were named to the Polynesian Bowl this week.
Carvalho, who was named the Star-Advertiser All-State Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, scored three touchdowns for the Red Raiders in a season-opening 49-0 win over Kamehameha on Saturday. The 5-foot-7, 165-pound receiver recently committed to play for Utah next season.
Fonoimoana, a 6-foot, 185-pound safety, has offers from 10 Division I schools, including Hawaii, Stanford, Virginia and Utah.
Timoteo, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman, committed to Hawaii in June.
The annual high school football all-star game, which has four of the top 10 ranked recruits in the country committed to the game, takes place Jan. 20 at Kunuiakea Stadium and will be broadcast on NFL Network.
