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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, August 17, 2008

Pin trading 'incredible'; catcher's injury improving

By Timo Donahue
Special to The Advertiser

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Timo Donahue

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LITTLE LEAGUE DIARY

Timo Donahue, coach of the Waipi'o baseball team in the 11- to 12-year-old Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., will provide insights from youth baseball's oldest and most prestigious tournament. Waipi'o is the 10th Hawai'i team to compete in the World Series, which started in 1947. The last team, West O'ahu, in 2005, is the only team to win the title.

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — We took off today. We're going to work out tomorrow morning, about hour-half.

Today, they got to be like normal kids, got to walk around the stadium.

The highlight was pin trading.

The people who are trading (here) are generous.

There are so many (pins), it's incredible. Each league has its own, each tournament has its own.

Ours is like a square that looks like a baseball infield. Inside there's a Hawaiian flag and two bats. Across the bottom, there's Hawaii. Across the middle is Waipio.

If you want to see what our pin looks like, somebody from California is selling it on eBay.

Most of them put them on their hats.

INJURY UPDATE

(When asked about the status of starting catcher Iolana Akau, who was hit by a hit and suffered a hairline fracture of his left elbow.)

Big difference from yesterday.

He made great strides from his injury. It looked slim to none last night.

Now, there's a bigger light at the end of the tunnel that he has a chance to come back.

I feel really good about that.

The swelling went down, a little more range of motion, there's hope he can return. Looks a lot more positive that he can come back and play in this tournament.

YESTERDAY'S GAMES

INDIANA LOSES DESPITE PITCHING NO-HITTER

Trailing by a run and without a hit, the boys from Hagerstown, Md., galloped to one unlikely victory.

Maryland manager Bill Abeles Jr. remained in disbelief minutes after his team was no-hit by Jeffersonville, Ind., starter Drew Ellis and still won 3-2 in the Little League World Series yesterday at South Williamsport, Pa.

"The baseball gods have been with us a little bit," Abeles said. "We genuflect when we go into the dugout."

Maryland scored in the first off a walk and an error, and got two runs in the fifth off a hit batsman, a walk and four wild pitches.

In other action yesterday, Matamoros, Mexico, defeated Willemstad, Curacao, 6-2; Yona, Guam, scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to beat Emilia, Italy, 7-6; Shelton, Conn., defeated Rapid City, S.D., 9-4; and Tokyo shut out Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 5-0. In the nightcap, Lake Charles, La., beat Mill Creek, Wash., 5-1.

Maryland's win was in a game that was postponed from Friday to yesterday because of rain.

LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

Pool play schedule; all Hawai'i times

At South Williamsport, Pa.

YESTERDAY

Hagerstown, Md. 3, Jeffersonville, Ind. 2

Matamoros, Tamaulipas 6, Willemstad, Curacao 2

Yona, Guam 7, Emilia, Italy 6

Shelton, Conn., 9, Rapid City, S.D., 4

Tokyo 5, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia 0

Lake Charles, La. 5, Mill Creek, Wash. 1

TODAY

Emilia, Italy vs. Matamoros, Tamaulipas, 6 a.m.

White Rock, British Columbia vs. Tokyo, 7 a.m.

Jeffersonville, Ind. vs. Lake Charles, La., 9:30 a.m.

Maracaibo, Venezuela vs. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, noon

Tampa, Fla. vs. Waip'io, 2 p.m.

TOMORROW

Mill Creek, Wash. vs. Hagerstown, Md., noon

Yona, Guam vs. Matamoros, Tamaulipas, 7 a.m.

Rapid City, S.D. vs. Waipi'o, 9 a.m.

Willemstad, Curacao vs. Emilia, Italy, 10 a.m.

Tampa, Fla. vs. Shelton, Conn., noon

TUESDAY

Maracaibo, Venezuela vs. Tokyo, 6 a.m.

Mill Creek, Wash. vs. Jeffersonville, Ind., 8 a.m.

White Rock, British Columbia vs. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 10 a.m.

Willemstad, Curacao vs. Yona, Guam, noon

Lake Charles, La. vs. Hagerstown, Md., 2 p.m.