Na Koa Ikaika receive unscheduled break

By Fred Guzman

Na Koa Ikaika were scheduled to play the opener of a seven-game road trip tonight in Tijuana.

Instead, the Maui team will receive an unexpected vacation in the middle of the Golden Baseball League season and not resume play until Aug. 2 when it hosts Edmonton at Iron Maehara Stadium.

Concerns about the field in Tijuana coupled with the cost of making a trip to the mainland for just four games were the reasons given for the cancellation. The games against Yuma will be made up when that team visits Maui later in the season. But the games versus Tucson will not be played.

Na Koa is already assured of a berth in the playoffs after winning the first-half titile on percentage points over Yuma and is currently leading the GBL South with a 5-1 mark in the second half.

On the youth baseball front, the Maui Big League all-stars advanced to the final of the Little League regional tournament in Bremerton, Wash., following yesterday’s 12-3 romp past Woodinville, Wash. Maui meets Thousand Oaks, Calif., in today’s final with the winner advancing to the national championship tournament in Easley, S.C.

A pair of Hawaii golfers put up some good scores in the opening rounds of their respective pro tournaments yesterday.

Castle High grad Dean Wilson fired a 5-under 65 for a fourth-place tie in the Canadian Open, while Punahou grad Michelle Wie shot a 4-under 68 and is tied for sixth in the Evian Masters.