Honolulu wins Cal Ripken regional

The Honolulu Saints capped off an undefeated run through the Cal Ripken 12-and-under/60-feet Pacific Southwest Regional in Surprise, Ariz., on Friday, earning a spot in the Cal Ripken World Series.

The Saints defeated Firebaugh (Northern California) 2-0 for the championship. Honolulu’s Caleb Markwith struck out nine while tossing a one-hit shutout, and Shane McCarthy hit a two-run single in the fifth inning.

While going 6-0 through the tournament, the Saints batted .494 with 12 doubles, six triples and a home run. Their pitching was equally strong, posting a team ERA of 1.00, allowing six runs while striking out 49 in 30 innings.

Markwith was named the tournament MVP. McCarthy joined teammates Dante Park, Aaron Tom and Richie Vidal on the all-tournament team.

The Saints will play in the 12u/60 Cal Ripken World Series beginning Aug. 9 in Hammond, Ind.

» At Bakersfield, Calif., Hawaii champion X-Factor was eliminated from the 12U/70 Cal Ripken Pacific Southwest Regional on Saturday, falling to Laguna (Northern California) 13-2.

X-Factor’s Shane Sasaki and Dougie Cabinatan were named to the all-tournament team.

» At Visalia, Calif., Manoa lost to host Visalia (Central California) 16-15 in the 10U Cal Ripken Pacific Southwestern Regional championship.

Manoa led 7-0 after the first inning and 11-4 going into the bottom of the fourth before Visalia began its rally. Visalia’s eight-run fifth gave it a 15-11 lead. Manoa battled back to tie it at 15 in the top of the sixth, but Visalia scored the winning run in the bottom half to take the regional title.

Manoa’s Casey Kitagawa, Kalae Harrison and Stanley McKenzie were named to the all-tournament team.

UH’s Kovalyov wins doubles tournament

University of Hawaii tennis player Dmytro Kovalyov won the doubles competition of the Egypt F17 Futures tournament Saturday in Sharm El Sheikh.

Kovalyov, playing with fellow Ukrainian Denys Mylokostov, defeated Vladyslav Manafov and Ilia Shatskiy in the final 7-6 (3), 3-6 (10-3).

Leahi 95 goes 1-1-1 at nationals

Leahi 95 Premier ended its run at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships with a 1-0 loss to Virginia’s VSA Heat Blue on Friday in Overland Park, Kan.

Leahi finished tied for second in its four-team pool in the under-18 girls division with four points. They played Legends FC 94 (Southern California) to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday and defeated FC United Select (Illinois) 2-1 on Thursday.

VSA Heat Blue (2-1-0), which scored its lone goal against Leahi with just three minutes remaining, won the pool and a spot in today’s championship game.

Hawaii Bowl tickets on sale Monday

Individual tickets for this year’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl will go on sale Monday.

The game, which will feature teams from the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA, is set for Dec. 24 at Aloha Stadium. The University of Hawaii will be the Mountain West representative if bowl eligible.

Ticket prices range from $5 to $45. For more information, visit sheratonhawaiibowl.com.

QB Club welcomes Maa, Monahan, Gorecki

Pono Maa, Sean Monahan and Dana Gorecki will speak at the Honolulu Quarterback Club’s luncheon at the Maple Garden restaurant on Monday.

Maa is a coach for the Ka Ulukoa Volleyball Club, which recently returned home with gold medals in three divisions (13-club, 15-club, 17-open) at the USA Volleyball Junior Boys National Championships on the mainland. This was the sixth consecutive year that the Ka Ulukoa 17s went undefeated on their way to the championship.

Monahan is the head coach for the Waikiki Beachboys Canoe Club and Gorecki is the club’s president and an open women’s paddler.

The luncheon is open to the public and begins at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $15 per person, including tax and gratuities.