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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, July 30, 2008

ISLE FILE
Catch of the day: 973-pound blue marlin

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Members of the Laguna Niguel Billfish Club pose with a 973-pound Pacific blue marlin at the 49th Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament.

Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament

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Laguna Niguel Billfish Club did it again.

Twenty-two years after it caught the largest Pacific blue marlin in the history of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, the club added the tournament's second-largest catch in waters off Kailua, Kona.

Veteran angler and team captain Robert Dudley hooked on to the 973-pound marlin around noon yesterday.

"I always hook the monsters on 50-pound test line, but they never stuck until today," said boat captain Marlin Parker, who grew up fishing in the Kona waters. "I saw it come out of the water just after it struck and I knew we had a big one."

Veteran angler Robert Dudley boated the fish after 2 hours, 20 minutes.

"The good news is she stayed on the surface and did not go down too deep," Dudley said. "We were the lucky ones today."

Laguna Niguel vaulted into the lead after two days with 1,497 points. Defending champion Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club is second with 1,250 points after tagging and releasing three fish yesterday.

In 1986, Laguna Niguel caught a 1,062.5-pound marlin, which remains the largest in the tournament's 49-year history.


BASEBALL

MENEHUNES WIN TITLE

Kaohi Downing homered and drove in five runs, and Brian Moon added four RBIs as the Kauai Menehunes defeated the Oahu Paddlers, 11-2, yesterday in the championship game of the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League.

Downing, Moon, Kenneth Avila, Kyle Haskin and Matt Ellis each had two hits for the Menehunes.

Dalen Isom and Marc Navarro each had a double and RBI for the Paddlers.

PEARL CITY PREVAILS

Kahana Neal drove in Christian Perkins with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Pearl City rallied from an eight-run deficit to beat Sunnyside, Ariz., 9-8, yesterday in the Little League Seniors (ages 14-16) Western Regional at Upland, Calif.

Arizona took an 8-0 lead after 5 1/2 innings, but Pearl City sent 12 batters to the plate in a seven-run sixth before scoring twice in the seventh.

In the Pearl City seventh, Jordan Oshiro singled in Reid Ramos to tie it at 8.

Neal hit a two-out, bases-loaded, full-count pitch off the second baseman and into right field for the game-winner.

Pearl City (1-0) will play tomorrow at 1 p.m. (Hawai'i time) against the winner of today's Northern California-Montana game.

HILO TROUNCES IDAHO

Jayce Carvalho, Ekolu Martens and Ridge Hoopii-Haslem homered in a six-run third inning as Hilo routed Eagle, Idaho, 12-2, yesterday in the Little League Juniors (ages 13-14) Western Regional at Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Quintan Torres-Costa, Kian Kurokawa and Keone Chiquita combined on a two-hitter in a game shortened to 4 1/2 innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Hilo (1-0) will play Anchorage, Alaska today at 7 a.m. (Hawai'i time).

HAWAI'I GOES TO 2-0

Kale Kaalekahi pitched six innings, left to play first base and came back in to record the final three outs as Hawai'i beat Tri Valley, 5-2, yesterday in the Babe Ruth (ages 13-15) Pacific Southwest Regional at El Segundo, Calif.

Chace Numata came in to start the seventh, but didn't retire a batter. Kaalekahi re-took the mound and finished off Tri Valley.

Kaalekahi also batted 2 for 3 with a double for Hawai'i (2-0).

Hawai'i will play Torrance, Calif., tomorrow at 11 a.m. (Hawai'i time).

MILILANI ELIMINATED

Mililani lost to Tustin, Calif., 12-3, yesterday and was eliminated from the P.O.N.Y. Pony 13 West Zone Tournament at Fullerton, Calif.

Mililani finished 2-2 in the double-elimination tournament.

KAMIKAZE TOPPLED

The O'ahu Kamikaze overcame a 7-2 deficit, but Bingham, Utah scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win, 10-9, at the Cal Ripken (ages 9-under) Western Regional yesterday at Panguitch, Utah.

The Kamikaze used a seven-run fifth inning to take a 9-7 lead.

Blaine DeMello, Geoffrey Moore, Matthew Dunaway and Cole Cannon each batted 2 for 4 for the Kamikaze.

O'ahu (0-1) will play Nevada today at 1:30 p.m. Hawai'i time.


GOLF

TAISE TRIUMPHS

Jay Taise won a sudden-death playoff Monday to capture the Aloha Section PGA Senior Championship at the Mauna Lani Resort course on the Big Island.

Taise (73) beat Mark Morrison (75) on the first playoff hole after they each shot 3-over-par 147.

Defending champion Larry Stubblefield (77) and Lance Taketa (73) tied for third at 148, and Bill Hunt (77) and Mike Iyoki (77) tied for fifth at 149.

Taise, Morrison, Taketa, Hunt and Iyoki have qualified for the Senior PGA Professional National Championship, which will be held in California in October.

SISLER LEADS BY THREE

Kati Sisler shot a 1-over-par 73 yesterday to take a three-stroke lead after the opening round of the Hawai'i State Women's Stroke Play Championship at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

Xyra Suyetsugu is alone in second at 76, while Woori Han, Jaclyn Hilea and Kaili Britos are tied for third at 77.

The 54-hole tournament continues today with the leaders teeing off at 9 a.m.

HAWAI'I IN FIFTH

Alika Bell shot a 1-over-par 73 yesterday to help put the Hawai'i team in fifth place after the first round of the 36th Boys Junior Americas Cup tournament in Vancouver, Wash.

Hawai'i has a team total — lowest scores among four members — of 9-over 225. Mexico leads the 17-team field at 3-under 213. Southern California (218) is second, followed by Oregon (220) and British Columbia (224).

Southern California's Patrick Cantlay shot a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke lead.

Other Hawaii golfers: David Fink (74, tie 12th), Taeksoo Kim (78, tie 36th) and Bradley Shigezawa (81, tie 54th).


TENNIS

TOP SEEDS ADVANCE

Two-time defending champions and top seeds Minh Le and Wei-Yu Su defeated No. 8 seeds Billy Ball and Torin Ching, 6-1, 6-0, last night in the quarterfinals of the Blue Moon Men's Night Doubles at Kailua Racquet Club.

In another quarterfinal, No. 4 seeds Michael Bruggemann and Erich Chen ousted No. 7 seeds Mikey Lim and Thomas Shubert, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Two more quarterfinal matches are scheduled to be played tonight, starting at 6.

UH CLINICS SET

University of Hawai'i men's coach John Nelson and Mark Beede will conduct High Performance Training clinics tomorrow and Friday at the UH Tennis Complex.

Sessions run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day and cost $60 per session or $110 for both. The first night will focus on singles and the second on doubles.

Sessions feature work on speed, agility, footwork and include drills and match play. Tactics, video, strategy and mental and physical aspects of the game are also covered.

To register, email beede@hawaiitennis.org or call 677-1334.