BANGOR – There will be a new champion crowned at the Senior League World Series Saturday thanks to the left arm of Hilo, Hawaii’s Myles Ioane.

Ioane, featuring a virtually unhittable curve that he threw from two different arm angles, fired a two-hit masterpiece to provide the U.S. West titlists with a 3-2 semifinal triumph over defending champ Curacao at Mansfield Stadium Friday.

Hilo, 4-1, will face U.S. South champ Chesterfield, Va., also 4-1, in Saturday’s 1 p.m. title game.

“My curve was breaking real good. I had confidence in it,” said Ioane, who had a no-hitter through five innings. “I have one I throw from over the top and another from a 45-degree angle. I used the one from the 45-degree angle to get strikes and set up strikeouts and the over-the-top curve to get the strikeouts. They had trouble hitting my curve so when I got into trouble, I threw it harder.”

“He had a very good curve ball. It was very difficult to hit,” said Curacao right fielder Arielito Dos Passos.

“He was a very good pitcher,” said Curacao center fielder Jeandre Paulina.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ioane, who also had a live fastball, struck out nine and walked two. Both runs off him were unearned. He threw 58 strikes among his 83 pitches.

Ioane also aided his own cause by knocking in the winning run with a fielder’s choice.

Curacao righthander Shairon Martis was equally brilliant, allowing just three hits and three unearned runs with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

He threw 77 strikes among his 96 pitches.

Curacao committed four errors after making just two in its first four games and they proved costly.

Hilo erased a 2-1 deficit and took the lead for good with two runs in the third inning.

Owen Otsuka legged out an infield hit into the shortstop hole with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch.

Matt Haasenritter hit another grounder into the shortstop hole and Sharlon Schoop bobbled it for an error before throwing late to third.

Haasenritter stole second and when catcher Kenley Jansen’s throw skipped into center field, Otsuka scored and Haasenritter continued to third.

Ioane followed with his run-producing grounder to shortstop off a 1-2 fastball. Curacao elected to play the infield back because it was early in the game.

Haasenritter, who has nine hits in 18 at-bats so far, singled sharply to left in the first inning and scored on first baseman Arthur Bonevacia’s two-out error.

Curacao got two gift runs in the second when third baseman Darrick Iida overthrew first on consecutive one-out grounders by Bonevacia and Levi Carolus and then Ioane threw past third trying to nail Carolus.

Rashid Mauricio broke up Ioane’s no-hit bid with a double to the base of the fence to lead off the sixth. Paulina sacrificed him to third but Ioane used his curve to fan Dos Passos and Schoop.

A one-out walk and Carolus’ line drive single to left in the seventh put runners on first and second but Ioane threw three curves past Jansen and catcher Otsuka nailed Bonevacia trying to steal third to end the game.

“What a way to end it,” grinned Ioane.

WEST 3, LATIN AMERICA 2

Hilo, Hawaii (4-1) Curacao (4-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Inouye, ss 3 0 0 0 Paulina, cf 2 0 0

O. Otsuka, c 3 1 1 0 Cijntje, cf 0 0 0

Haasenritter, rf 3 2 1 0 Dos Passos, rf 3 0

Ioane, p 2 0 0 1 R. Martis, rf 0 0 0

Bondallion, 1b 2 0 0 0 Schoop, ss 3 0

d-Yada 1 0 0 0 Smith, 3b 3 0 0

Iida, 3b 2 0 0 0 Bonevacia, 1b 2 1 0

a-Spencer 1 0 0 0 Rojer, 1b 0 0 0

Yamashita, cf 2 0 1 0 Carolus, lf 3 0

b-S. Otsuka 1 0 0 0 Mariano, lf 0 0 0

Correia, 2b 2 0 0 0 Servania, rf 0 0 0

c-Pagan 1 0 0 0 Jansen, c 3 0 0

Kaeo, lf 3 0 0 0 S. Martis, p 2 0 0

Mauricio, 2b 1 0 1 0

Totals 26 3 3 1 Totals 22 2 2 0

a- struck out for Iida in 4th inning; b- popped up for Yamashita in 4th inning; c- struck out for Correia in 4th inning; d- struck out for Bondallian in 6th inning

Hawaii 102 000 0 ? 3

Curacao 020 000 0 ? 2

E?Iida, Ioane; Dos Passos, Schoop, Bonevacia, Jansen; LOB?Hawaii 3, Curacao 2; 2B?Yamashita, Mauricio; DP?O. Otsuka-Iida; S?Paulina; SB?Haasenritter

Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO

Ioane (W, 1-1) 7 2 2 0 2 9

Curacao IP H R ER BB SO

S. Martis (L, 1-1) 7 3 3 0 1 11

WP? S. Martis; T? 1:47; ATT? 735