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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 18, 2008

Hawaii has a blast against Florida, 10-2

Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i's Tanner Tokunaga watches his fifth-inning grand slam against Florida pitcher Darren Miller.

GENE J. PUSKAR | Associated Press

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Pikai Winchester drove in three runs and Waipi'o overcame an early two-run deficit to beat Tampa, Fla., 10-2, last night at the Little League World Series.

Down 2-0, Winchester had an RBI single to start the scoring in a four-run third inning for undefeated Hawai'i (2-0), which clinched a semifinal berth with the victory. He added a two-run double in the fourth.

Tanner Tokunaga sealed the game with a grand slam to center in the fifth off Florida pitcher Darren Miller.

"He just hung his curveball and I hit it good," Tokunaga said. "It was real exciting because it just busted the game open."

Reliever Trevor Ling settled Hawai'i down on the mound after Florida (1-1) plated two runs in the first inning. Ryan McCullers and Michael McGuire both scored that inning on wild pitches by Hawai'i starter Khade Paris.

"I was really nervous," Ling said. "I tried taking deep breaths to calm me down."

Wyatt Reid and Danny Lastra each added two hits for Florida.

"That's a good team, a very good team," Tampa manager Joe McGuire said of Waipi'o. "They have a lot of good pitchers too, they all threw the ball well."

Waipio plays one more pool game at 9 a.m. Hawai'i time today against Rapid City, S.D. Game is on ESPN2.

The U.S. semifinals are Wednesday. Waipio will play at 2 p.m. The game is on ESPN.

MEXICO 12, ITALY 0

Jesus Sauceda pitched the fifth perfect game in Little League World Series history and the first in 29 years when he struck out all 12 batters in Matamoros, Mexico's 12-0 win over Emilia, Italy.

The game went four innings instead of the usual six because of Little League's 10-run mercy rule.

"To be honest with you, I wasn't expecting this," Sauceda said through translator Sergio Guzman. He proudly displayed the ball that was the final pitch on a table. "I was just going out there to throw."

Sauceda starred at the plate, too, going 3 for 3 with six RBIs, including a grand slam in the third inning.

In other action, Trey Quinn tossed a no-hitter for Lake Charles, La., in a 9-0 shutout of Jeffersonville, Ind.; Tokyo defeated White Rock, British Columbia, 9-3; and Maracaibo, Venezuela, shut out Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 12-0.

LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

Hawai'i Times

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

Mexico 12, Italy 0, 4 innings, 10-run rule.

Tokyo 9, White Rock, British Columbia 3.

Lake Charles, La., 9, Jeffersonville, Ind. 0.

Venezuela 12, Saudi Arabia 0.

Waipi'o, Hawai'i 10, Tampa, Fla. 2.

TODAY'S GAMES

Mill Creek, Wash. vs. Hagerstown, Md., 6 a.m.

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

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

Curacao vs. Italy, 10 a.m.

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

TOMORROW'S GAMES

Venezuela vs. Tokyo, 6 a.m.

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

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

Curacao vs. Guam, noon.

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

SEMIFINALS

WEDNESDAY

INTERNATIONAL

Pool D No. 1 vs. Pool C No. 2, 10 a.m.

UNITED STATES

Pool B No. 1 vs. Pool A No. 2, 2 p.m.

THURSDAY

INTERNATIONAL

Pool C No. 1 vs. Pool D No. 2, 10 a.m.

UNITED STATES

Pool A No. 1 vs. Pool B No. 2, 2 p.m.

SATURDAY

International championship, 6:30 a.m.

U.S. championship, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY

THIRD PLACE

At Volunteer Stadium.

U.S. runner-up vs. International runner-up, 6 a.m.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

At Lamade Stadium.

International champion vs. U.S. champion, 9:30 a.m.