Big road trip for ’Bows
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinThis road trip is the defining moment for the University of Hawaii baseball team. Win four of seven games at such difficult Western Athletic Conference outposts as Fresno State and Brigham Young University, and return home to Rainbow Stadium in time to play San Diego State for the right to be one of six league teams that advances to the postseason tournament.
"If we don't win at least four, then we can pretty much forget it," UH head coach Les Murakami said after Tuesday's practice. "And that's very tough because we didn't win at Fresno or BYU that often when we had all-star teams."
The Rainbows open a four-game series tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Beiden Field against a Fresno State team that's only a half-game behind West Division leading San Jose State. The Bulldogs not only have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Rainbows, but hold a decisive 10-2 advantage in their own back yard as well.
"But the games are usually close there," Murakami said. "We've decided to play two nine-inning games on Sunday, instead of seven and nine. We're a couple of old-time coaches, who see eye-to-eye on a lot of things."
Veteran head coach Bob Bennett asked Murakami last week if the make-up game could go nine, instead of seven. He checked with league officials and they gave it their OK.
Fresno State will start Jeff Weaver (9-3, 3.04 ERA), Adam Pettyjohn (5-5, 3.18) and Kirk Griffin (5-1, 3.25). Casey Rowe (5-0, 2.56) will probably go on Sunday.
Hawaii will counter with Daven Hermosura (4-3, 5.40), Dusty Bergman (1-5, 7.55), Andrew McNally (2-2, 6.04) and Jay Spurgeon (2-3, 7.65). Hermosura might not start in tomorrow's opener because of a sinus infection.
Hawaii enters the series with a 17-29 record for the season and 9-11 mark in league play, trailing San Diego State by 2-1/2-games for the sixth and final spot in next month's WAC tournament.
After the four-game series with Fresno State, Hawaii travels to BYU, tied for first in the North Division with Utah. UHis 6-15-2 lifetime at Cougar Field.
The facts
Tomorrow: Hawaii vs. Fresno State at 4 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
1997 Rainbow Men’s Baseball
Schedule and Record
