Monday, March 2, 1998

Third game the charm
for Base’Bows

UH rebounds as coach Murakami
closes in on 1,000 career victories

Star-Bulletin Staff

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- What a difference a day can make.

A day after being blasted, 23-8, the University of Hawaii baseball team escaped a series sweep to San Jose State with an 11-4 victory yesterday at Municipal Stadium.

The victory gives UH coach Les Murakami 997 career wins. He could reach 1,000 with a sweep of San Diego State this week at Rainbow Stadium.

SJSU (10-6 overall, 2-1 WAC) won, 7-2, Friday in the first game of the three-game series, which kicked off the Western Athletic Conference season for both teams. Then came Saturday's blowout

But yesterday, the Spartans stranded 14 base runners, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth and eighth innings, and committed three errors.

Rainbow starter Patrick McNair pitched 5-23 innings to improve to 3-0. He gave up eight hits and only one earned run. SJSU starter Christian Cooper took the loss.

Hawaii (17-5, 1-2) opened the scoring in its first at-bat, then scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and a pair in each of the final two innings.

First baseman Jamie Aloy, 8-for-15 in the series, knocked in the first run with a double.

In the third inning, the big blow was a bases-clearing double by designated hitter Tracy Nakano.

SJSU cut the UH lead to 4-2 with a pair in the bottom of the third, but the 'Bows pulled away in the fifth, scoring on a solo homer by center fielder Darren Blakely, an error by SJSU and a single by third baseman Matt Wheeler for a 7-2 lead.

The Spartans got one back in the sixth, but Hawaii put the game away in the last two innings.

In the eighth, right fielder Neal Honma singled in a run and Aloy knocked in Honma with his second double of the game for a 9-3 lead.

The Spartans got one back in the bottom of the eighth, but the Rainbows answered with a pair in the ninth on a solo homer by catcher Lars Hansen and a single by Honma.

Honma led UH's 13-hit attack, going 4-for-6 with two RBIs, two doubles and three runs scored. Besides Aloy's two doubles, he was 3-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

'Bow stars

Neal Honma: 4-for-6, two doubles, two RBIs, three runs scored
Jamie Aloy: 3-for-6, two doubles, two RBIs, two runs
Tracy Nakano: three RBIs

Box Score

Rainbows 11, Spartans 4

Hawaii						San Jose St.
		ab	r	h	bi			ab	r	h	bi
Blakely cf	2	3	1	1	Forman ss	4	0	2	0
Honma rf	6	3	4	2	Lewis cf-rf	3	1	2	0
Aloy 1b		6	2	3	2	James 2b	3	1	0	0
Millichap lf	4	1	0	0	Cheshier 3b	3	0	1	2
Nakano dh	3	0	1	3	Richardson 1b	5	0	0	1
Wheeler 3b	5	0	1	1	Lauderdale lf	5	1	3	0
Hansen c	4	1	1	1	Douglass dh	5	0	3	0
Chan 2b		5	1	2	0	Duncan rf	3	0	0	0
Dartt ss	4	0	0	0	Brucker ph-cf	2	0	0	0
						Wright c	2	0	0	0
						Chutuk ph	1	1	1	0
						Orr c		0	0	0	0
						Canale ph	1	0	0	0
Totals		39	11	13	10	Totals		37	4	12	2


Hawaii		103	030	002--11
San Jose St.	002	001	010-- 4

E--Dartt (16), Forman (5), Lauderdale (2), McDermott (1). DP--Hawaii 3. LOB--Hawaii 10, San Jose St. 14. 2B--Honma 2 (6), Aloy 2 (6), Nakano (1), Lauderdale (5). HR--Blakely (1), Hansen (1). SB--Blakely (19), Lewis (4). SH--Dartt (5).

		IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
McNair (W, 3-0)	5-2/3	8	3	1	4	2
Baptista	2	3	1	1	1	1
Jones (S, 4)	1-1/3	1	0	0	0	2
Cooper (L, 0-2)	4-1/3	6	6	5	1	3
McDermott	2/3	2	1	0	1	1
Baker		2-1/3	0	1	1	3	1
Greene		1-2/3	5	3	3	1	3

WP--McNair 2, Baptista, Greene. PB--Hansen, Wright. HBP--Blakely (by Cooper), Cheshier (by McNair), Wright (by McNair), Blakely (by Baker), Cheshier (by Baptista).

Umpires--Samuels (plate), Blassingame (first), Galbraith (third). T--3:45. A--444.

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