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Hawaii baseball team flexes depth in midweek rout of Hawaii Hilo

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Hawaii baseball team flexes depth in midweek rout of Hawaii Hilo


HONOLULU — Rich Hill saw an opportunity to empty his bench and took full advantage of it.

The Hawaii baseball team used all 17 of its position players — including first-time batter Itsuki Takemoto — and reached deep into its bullpen in a 13-1 midweek rout of little sibling Hawaii Hilo at Les Murakami Stadium on Tuesday night.

“It was great to see these guys compete,” Hill told Spectrum News. “Guys like Blake Hiraki, who’s meant so much to this program over four years. Getting Kamana (Nahaku) in there, getting Bronson (Rivera), and seeing our pitchers really compete. So that was awesome.”

Lineup regulars Kyson Donahue (2-for-3, three RBIs), Austin Machado (2-for-2, three runs) and Jake Tsukada (two walks, a hit by pitch and three runs) put up numbers while part-time starter Sean Rimmer belted his third homer of the season, best on the team among non-regulars.

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Cory Ronan got the start and allowed Hilo’s only run, unearned, in the first inning. The first man out of the bullpen, Hunter Gotschall (1-1), went two innings with a walk to pick up the win. Six other relievers worked an inning each from there to round out the three-hitter.

UH (26-15, 9-9 Big West) has won five straight heading into this weekend’s three-game series against Big West co-leader Cal State Northridge (28-14, 14-4). The series opener is 6:35 p.m. Friday.

“I hope we have standing room only,” Hill said.

The ‘Bows are still well out of the BWC regular-season race, but with an RPI of under 90, have a chance to improve their resume for NCAA at-large consideration over the remaining 12 regular-season games.

UH improved to 4-0 against Division II competition this season, including 2-0 against Hilo. It’s closing in on its first 30-win season since 2012, which would be the first under third year coach Hill.

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Takemoto, the freshman from Wakayama, Japan, entered the program billed as a two-way player but had so far appeared only as a right-handed pitcher.

That changed when he entered as a pinch hitter for Machado in the sixth inning. He struck out on four pitches against Jake Liberta in his first collegiate at-bat, but got a second chance as a designated hitter in the eighth and poked a single up the middle off of Waiakea High graduate Cody Hirata.

“He’s one of those guys in BP who’s shortened up everything,” Hill said. “He is exactly like (Shohei) Ohtani … it’s the whole batting stance and everything else. He’s got some juice in there. I’d like to get him some more reps. I think he’s got lightning in that bat; he just needs a lot of ABs.”

Hilo sophomore Tui Ickes, the older brother of UH third baseman Elijah Ickes, saw action at first base off the bench. But Elijah Ickes did not reach first with his brother manning the bag, nor did Tui Ickes reach third after drawing a walk.

UHH, led by coach Kallen Miyataki, was out of the running for the PacWest tournament and concluded its season at 19-31.

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Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.



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Hawaii

Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano

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Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano


The National Park Service is warning parents to keep their children close after a toddler ran toward the edge of a 400-foot-tall cliff at Hawaii National Park on Christmas.

The young boy was at the park with his family to view the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. They were in a closed area at Kilauea Overlook when he wandered away from his family before the “near miss.” His mother, screaming, managed to grab him just about a foot away from a fatal fall.

“Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” the agency warned.

People watch as an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii on Monday. The volcanic eruption, which started on Monday, is now in its second pause. But, park officials are issuing a warning to visitors after an almost disastrous incident occurred near the volcano

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People watch as an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii on Monday. The volcanic eruption, which started on Monday, is now in its second pause. But, park officials are issuing a warning to visitors after an almost disastrous incident occurred near the volcano ((Janice Wei/NPS via AP))

Rangers noted that dangers escalate during volcanic eruptions, as people flock to view the spectacle of lava flowing out of the Earth’s crust. The Park Service urged drivers to slow, and watch out for pedestrians, Hawaiian geese, and switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.

The eruption, which started on December 23, is now in its second pause, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But, it could still restart at any time.

Furthermore, emissions of toxic gas remain high, including particulate matter called tephra. Billions of minuscule pieces of tephra, which include all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano, can be carried on winds for thousands of miles and can cause respiratory issues. Volcanoes also produce dangerous gases, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.

Tephra has blanketed the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava.

Lava fountains erupt in Kīlauea crater as seen from Kūpinaʻi Pali in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Monday. Hazards increase for parkgoers during volcanic eruptions

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Lava fountains erupt in Kīlauea crater as seen from Kūpinaʻi Pali in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Monday. Hazards increase for parkgoers during volcanic eruptions (NPS)

“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.

“Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds,” she said.



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Hawaii Supreme Court rejects county council candidate’s election lawsuit

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Hawaii Supreme Court rejects county council candidate’s election lawsuit


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit by Maui County Council candidate Kelly King to overturn the general election results.

King lost her race last month to incumbent Tom Cook by 97 votes.

She argued the county rejected too many ballots because of missing or invalid signatures, and that voters weren’t offered enough help to fix the problems.

In Maui County, there were nearly 1,100 deficient ballots compared to the national average. King says Maui County’s rejection rate was nearly double the state average in 2022.

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But the high court ruled Tuesday that the County Clerk’s Office followed state law and all administrative rules to cure the deficient ballots.

View the full decision here.

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Unticketed passenger removed from Delta flight bound for Hawaii

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Unticketed passenger removed from Delta flight bound for Hawaii


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Authorities are investigating how a passenger without a ticket got onto a Delta Airlines flight bound for Honolulu Christmas Eve.

According to Delta Airlines, the traveler boarded flight 487 from Seattle to Honolulu, on an Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The traveler has not been identified, but the airlines confirmed the person was discovered during the taxi out at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday.

The flight returned to the gate, where the person was removed and arrested. The Transportation Security Administration conducted additional security checks, including customer rescreening.

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The flight was delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes and continued on to Honolulu, the airline said.

Delta Airlines said in a statement: “As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”

Delta said early indications are the unticketed passenger boarded the flight at the gate without presenting a boarding pass.

TSA says the passenger made it through the standard screening, and did not possess any prohibited items.

The investigation is ongoing.

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This happened on the same day that a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight that arrived in Kahului from Chicago.

That incident also remains under investigation.



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