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ONLINE | WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM/SPORTS B SPORTS INSIDE | PAGE 2B UFC 194 WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor smiles during open workouts for UFC 196 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. McGregor takes on Nate Diaz in UFC 196 on Saturday. STEVE MARCUS/LAS VEGAS SUN VIA AP LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor’s startling 25-pound move up in weight to fight former lightweight title contender Nate Diaz at welterweight in Saturday’s UFC 196 is generating great debate. Does the UFC’s featherweight champion from Ireland pack enough punch to hurt and finish Diaz? Waiakea’s Makoa Andres throws no-hitter against Hilo Jack’s Diving Locker Kama aina Dive Club Discounts on Dive Trips Discounts on Equipment Dive Travel to Exotic Locations 808-329-7585 www.jacksdivinglocker.com ’ RANI HENDERSON RUNNIN’ WITH RANI Add some adventure to your life! Since 1981 Texans release franchise rushing FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016 | WEST HAWAII TODAY leader Arian Foster In the long history on the diamond between crosstown rivals Hilo and Waiakea, which includes a handfule of MLB pitchers, no one had accomplished what Makoa Andres did on the mound Thursday night at Wong Stadium. The senior right-hander pitched a no-hitter as the Warriors blistered the Vikings 11-0 in a BIIF Division I baseball showdown, just missing a perfect game with a walk. “Makoa threw a gem,” Waiakea coach Rory Inouye said. “What we really liked was how he controlled the tempo, especially in a big game. He pitched at his pace. His slider (Andres calls it a sharp curveball) was good. It was one of those nights that he had his stuff.” Andres walked No. 8 hitter Austin Aina on four pitches in the sixth inning. Otherwise he was flawless and so was his defense, which got to rest periodically behind eight strikeouts. “During the fourth inning, I thought I could get a no-hitter,” said Andres, who threw a four-inning no-hitter against Hawaii Prep last year. “Mostly my fastball and curveball were working. The coaches told me to keep my pitch count low and let my defense work. I have to credit my teammates. They made all the plays.” While Waiakea threw its No. 1 pitcher, the Vikings started senior right-hander Bud Cox, who didn’t pitch much last season and lasted 1 1/3 innings. He was followed by Ryan Ragual (3 2/3 innings), No. 2 starter Josiah Factora (1 1/3 innings), and Brett Komatsu (two outs). While Andres controled the Hilo offense, Waiakea’s hitters piled up 12 hits but only two balls were absolutely smoked. Andres clobbered a double in the second inning, and Gehrig Octavio nuked a triple to the right-center field outfield fence. Three of Waiakea’s runs came off walks and two more off hit by pitches. Taylor Mondina led the offense, going 2 for 4 with three RBIs, Anthony Benevides 2 for 5 with two RBIs, and Andres was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Still, the night belonged to Andres, a stocky 5-foot- 10 ace, who spotted his fastball on the corners, threw his sharp curveball in the lower-half of the strike zone, and was a model of efficiency with just 81 pitches. In the second inning, Hilo had two harmful errors that led to a pair of unearned runs, and a tworun single by Mondina, SEE BASEBALL PAGE 2B BIIF BASEBALL BY KEVIN JAKAHI HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD “Who wants to take a punch?” Diaz cracked when asked if he wonders how hard the 145-pound champion can hit in a 170-pound fight. “I’ve been hit hard, man. Let’s see what happens.” A foot injury led to lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos’ withdrawal last week from defending his belt against McGregor, with Diaz (18-10) stepping in. In a public workout Wednesday, McGregor (19-2) arrived late, but remained on stage longer than the other three fighters who attended the session: Diaz and women’s bantamweights Holly Holm and Miesha Tate. During the session, he showed spinning kicks, superior head movement and the ability to stay low, moving upward to strike fast SEE FIGHT PAGE 2B MCGREGOR NOT ONLY JUMPING TO WELTERWEIGHT, HE WANTS THE BELT BY LANCE PUGMIRE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Team Mango Sprint Tri continues to thrive In 1992 a series of triathlon, cycling and running events burst onto the race scene during a time when island athletes were in desperate need of quality training and racing sessions. The idea blossomed from a local triathlete, Carl “Gecko” Koomoa, who felt that Big Island athletes needed better preparation against tough neighbor islanders and out of state competition at signature events such as the former Keauhou Kona Triathlon, Oahu’s Tinman Triathlon, and Kona’s IRONMAN World Championships. “We needed a safe and inexpensive way to provide local athletes with a race simulated venue for training purposes to improve upon their triathlon skills,” said event organizer, Koomoa. “And that’s what it’s all about – having quality training sessions to be used as a learning tool for the much bigger events.” From sprint to full iron-distance triathlons, rugged beach trail runs and epic cycling challenges, Koomoa’s series of events – called Team Mango Races - kept local athletes fit and active year round. Now 24 years later, Team Mango Races are as popular as ever with Sunday’s Sprint Triathlon coming very close to the race record turnout of 70-plus people. “I think people doing this race at this time of the year are more prepared to commit themselves to doing triathlons especially with Lavaman SEE RANI PAGE 2B COMING UP Sunday: Frozen Pea Productions presents the Zoomin’ Zak Plunge and Plod Biathlon at Kaiakeakua Beach. Start time is 8:08 a.m. for the 1/2 mile swim and 3.9-mile run. A short Pea Wee course of 200-yard swim and 1-mile is available for everyone. No signup, just sign out when finished. For more info contact Peaman at (808) 938-2296. Waiakea's Makoa Andres threw a no-hitter against Hilo on Thursday. TIM WRIGHT/SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY


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