Buffanblu draw top seed
for the state tournament

Defending state champion Punahou drew the top seed yesterday for this week's Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championship at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Buffanblu went 18-2 to win the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship and are No. 15 in USA Today's Super 25 national rankings.

They are also No. 1 in the Star-Bulletin Baseball Top 10 poll.

Punahou gets a bye through the first round and meets the winner of Wednesday's Pearl City (8-5) vs. Kauai (11-1) game in a Thursday quarterfinal.

The other seeded teams that get a first-round bye are Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Kailua (10-3), Maui Interscholastic League champion Baldwin (14-3) and Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Waiakea (12-2).

Kauai's Red Raiders, who captured the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title, are the only league champion without a bye.

In other first-round games Wednesday, OIA runner-up Moanalua (10-2) faces MIL second-place Maui (13-4), ILH runner-up Kamehameha (16-5) battles Aiea (9-4), and BIIF second-place Kamehameha-Hawaii (12-3) takes on Mililani (9-2).

The tournament continues through Saturday's 8 p.m. championship game.

Punahou is going for its second straight title and eighth since the tournament started in 1959.

HHSAA Baseball

At Les Murakami Stadium
Seeds: 1. Punahou. 2. Kailua. 3. Baldwin. 4. Waiakea.
Wednesday
Game 1: Moanalua vs. Maui, 11:30 a.m.
2: Kauai vs. Pearl City, 2 p.m.
3: Kamehameha-Hawaii vs. Mililani, 4:30 p.m.
4: Kamehameha vs. Aiea, 7 p.m.
Thursday
5: Losers of Games 1 & 2, 9 a.m.
6: Waiakea vs. Winner of Game 1, 11:30 a.m.
7: Baldwin vs. Winner of Game 4,
2 p.m.
8: Punahou vs. Winner of Game 2,
4:30 p.m.
9: Kailua vs. Winner of Game 3,
7 p.m.
Friday
10: Losers of Games 3 & 4, 10 a.m.
11: Losers of Games 8 & 6, 12:30 p.m.
12: Losers of Games 9 & 7, 3 p.m.
13: Winners of Games 8 & 6, 5:30 p.m.
14: Winners of Games 9 & 7, 8 p.m.
saturday
15: Winners of Games 5 & 10, noon
16: Winners of Games 11 & 12,
2:30 p.m.
17: Losers of Games 13 & 14, 5 p.m.
18: Winners of Games 13 & 14, 8 p.m.