Central East Maui Nabs Little League Title

By Fred Guzman

The Central East Maui All-Stars came into the day knowing exactly what they had to do in order to capture the Little League Major Division state title – win back-to-back games against an unbeaten team from West Oahu.

Before a large, loud and enthusiastic crowd at the War Memorial complex, the hometown team delivered in a huge way, defeating MKH by decisive scores of 8-4 and 8-1.

The victory earned the 11- and 12-year-old players from the Valley Isle a berth in the West Regional tournament to be held Aug.  5-13 in San Bernardino, Calif.

Note the use of the word “players” instead of “boys.”  That’s because one of the leading performers for Central East Maui is Nawai Kaupe, a girl.  Nawai went the distance on the mound and delivered a three-run homer at the plate during yesterday’s clincher.

More baseball-related news:

Shane Victorino went 0-for-4 in his return to Philly’s starting lineup yesterday following a stint on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb.

But the Phillies rallied for a 4-2 road win over the Chicago Cubs, increasing their lead in the National League East to 3.5 games over the Atlanta Braves, who suffered a 12-3 spanking at the hands of Colorado.

Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki had a double in four at-bats and scored a run in an 8-3 loss to Detroit.