ISLE FILE
BeachBoys advance to tonight's title game
Advertiser Staff
Kenichi Matsuoka pitched seven shutout innings as the Waikiki BeachBoys beat the Honolulu Sharks, 6-3, yesterday to clinch a berth in tonight's Hawaii Winter Baseball championship game.
The BeachBoys (19-19), who edged the Sharks (17-20) for the East Division title, will play West Division champion North Shore at 6 p.m. at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu.
Matsuoka (2-0) was masterful yesterday, surrendering five hits and striking out six while walking none. At one point, he retired 14 consecutive batters, and also struck out the side in the second on nine straight strikes.
The BeachBoys built a 6-0 lead on an RBI double by Justin Sellers in the second, a three-run homer by Dan Murphy in the fifth, an RBI single by Jeff Kindel in the seventh and an RBI single by Lucas Duda in the ninth.
Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to make it 6-3, before Zach Simons struck out Jason Place to end the game.
In the late game, Daniel Worth had four hits and two RBIs as the North Shore Honu beat the West Oahu CaneFires, 7-3.
VOLLEYBALL
STANLEY BOOSTS U.S.
Clay Stanley, a Kaiser High and University of Hawai'i alum, amassed 10 points on a match-high four aces and six kills as the U.S. men's national volleyball team upset world's No. 1 Brazil, 28-26, 30-28, 25-20, yesterday in the opening match of the FIVB World Cup in Matsumoto, Japan.
Reid Priddy had 16 points on 15 kills and an ace for fifth-ranked Team USA, which plays No. 17 Puerto Rico today.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
VITALE FIGHTS TO DRAW
Hawai'i's Falaniko Vitale fought to a majority draw in a mixed martial arts tournament put on by the Strikeforce organization on Friday in San Jose, Calif.
Vitale fought South Africa's Trevor Prangley in the semifinals of the tournament. Midway through the second round, Prangley caught Vitale with an inadvertent finger to the eye.
The ringside physician ruled that Vitale could not continue. The bout went to the scorecards, and the judges ruled it a majority draw.
Because a winner had to be declared, the referee chose Prangley to advance to the title match, where he lost to Florida's Jorge Santiago.
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