Monday, April 20, 1998
’Bows keep hopes
By Al Chase
alive with sweep
Star-BulletinThe University of Hawaii baseball team needed to sweep its series with Grand Canyon University yesterday to really brighten its Western Athletic Conference playoff picture.
The Rainbows did that with a 7-6 victory before 1,274 fans at Rainbow Stadium despite a rough start and a near disastrous finish.
Hawaii (31-16 overall, 9-12 WAC) now faces the challenge of maintaining its winning ways on a six-game road trip (three at Fresno State and three at San Diego State) the next two weekends.
The 'Bows are still last in the West Division, but picked up two games in their drive to finished at least third among teams qualifying as WAC tournament wild-card entries. UH is fifth in that race.
Hero buttons could be awarded to Ken Mackenzie, Neal Honma, Greg Millichap, Jamie Aloy, David Perreira and Ikaika Baptista after UH almost blew yesterday's game.
Mackenzie, the long reliever, held the Antelopes (21-20, 9-10) for 52/3 innings. He replaced starter Patrick McNair, who continues to battle control problems.
McNair walked two, hit two batters, had two wild pitches and left after three innings trailing, 2-0, even though Grand Canyon had no hits.
Honma's three-run single put UH ahead in the fifth. Greg Millichap's 450-foot homer to right added a run in the sixth and Aloy's two-out, two-run single made it 6-2 in the seventh.
Perreira made a backhand stab at third base of a screaming liner off the bat of Joe Hamel to save a run in the eighth. Then, after the Antelopes rallied for four runs in the ninth, Perreira started the game-winning comeback with a double in the bottom of the inning.
His line drive tipped off the glove of a leaping Mike Laird at second base and landed in short center. With three Antelopes chasing the ball, Perreira hustled into second.
Rory Pico then beat out a pretty sacrifice bunt toward third for an infield single. Michael Dartt drew the intentional walk to create a force play possibility at any base.
Grand Canyon head coach Gil Stafford also brought his outfielders in. But, Honma foiled the strategy by hitting a 1-1 pitch deep enough to right for a game-winning single.
"I was looking for something to pull. It was a fastball," Honma said. "I shouldn't have taken the first pitch, but I couldn't pull the trigger."
The 'Bows entered the bottom of the ninth tied instead of behind. Two sharp singles surrounded by two long fly outs, one on a nice running catch near the right-field foul line by Honma, dictated a pitching change.
Unfortunately, Randon Ho walked two batters to force in a run and gave up a two-run single as Grand Canyon cut its deficit to 6-5.
Enter Baptista, who threw four pitches, two quick strikes, then a waste pitch that was wild allowing Blake Woods to score the tying run, then another strike to end the inning.
It was Mackenzie's longest outing of the season. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior right-hander from Radford High School relied on a fork ball, split-finger fastball and a slider. He fanned five.
"Ken has really matured and understands what he has to do," UH pitching coach Carl Furutani said. "His splitter is his most consistent pitch. He uses his slider to set up his other pitches."
Box Score
Rainbows 7, Antelopes 6
Grand Canyon Hawaii ab r h bi ab r h bi Sellier cf 3 1 0 0 Dartt ss 1 1 0 0 Woods 3b 3 2 1 1 Honma rf 5 0 2 4 Ransom ss 4 0 1 2 Aloy 1b 3 0 1 2 Hamel c 4 1 0 0 Whitsett lf 4 0 0 0 Menke lf 3 0 0 0 Wheeler c 4 0 0 0 Curtis dh-p 4 0 1 0 Millichap dh 3 1 1 1 Forbes rf 4 1 1 0 Blakely cf 3 1 0 0 Critchett 1b 4 1 1 0 Perreira 3b 2 2 2 0 Lemberger 2b 2 0 0 0 Martin pr 0 1 0 0 Irving 2b 1 0 0 0 Pico 2b 3 1 1 0 Kerns ph 1 0 0 0 Laird 2b 0 0 0 0 Totals 33 6 5 3 Totals 28 7 7 7 Grand Canyon 011 000 004--6 Hawaii 000 031 201--7No outs when winning run scored.E--Woods (18), Perreira (7).
DP--GCU 2 (Ransom-Lemberger-Critchett, Lemberger-Ransom-Critchett). LOB--GCU 7, UH 7.
2B--Perreira (3). HR--Millichap (4). SB--Sellier (8), Woods (14). SH--Dartt (8), Pico (1).
IP H R ER BB SO Doble 6 3 5 4 6 1 Curtis (L, 4-3) 2 4 2 1 1 2 McNair 3 0 2 1 2 0 Mackenzie 5-2/3 4 2 2 1 5 Ho 0 1 2 2 2 0 Baptista (W, 2-0) 1/3 0 0 0 0 1Doble pitched to one batter in the seventh.Ho pitched to three batters in the ninth.
Curtis pitched to four batters in the ninth.
WP--McNair 2 (11), Baptista (6). BK--McNair (1), Mackenzie (1). HBP--Ransom and Hamel (by McNair), Perreira (by Doble).
Umpires--Burleson (plate), Gilmore (first), Montalbo (third).
T--2:53. A--1,274.
WAC
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Fresno State 13 7 .650 -- 23 21 .523 San Diego State 11 9 .550 2 23 18 .561 San Jose State 10 10 .500 3 26 16 .619 Hawaii 9 12 .429 4-1/2 31 16 .660
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Grand Canyon 9 10 .474 -- 21 20 .512 Brig. Young 8 13 .381 2 22 19 .537 Air Force 6 14 .300 3-1/2 12 27 .308 Utah 4 15 .211 5 14 27 .341Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Rice 21 3 .875 -- 35 14 .714 Texas Christian 13 7 .650 6 26 17 .605 Nev-Las Vegas 11 10 .524 8-1/2 28 17 .622 New Mexico 8 13 .381 11-1/2 19 25 .432Hawaii 7, Grand Canyon 6
San Jose State 14, Nevada-Las Vegas 13
New Mexico 13, Air Force 11 (1st)
Air Force 8, New Mexico 5 (2nd)
Rice 11, Utah 8
San Diego State 14, Texas Christian 5
WAC tournament race
Conference Team W L Pct. Rice (South) 21 3 .875 Fresno State (West) 13 7 .650 Grand Canyon (North) 9 10 .474
Conference Team W L Pct. GB Texas Christian 13 7 .650 -- San Diego State 11 9 .550 2 Nev-Las Vegas 11 10 .524 2-1/2 San Jose State 10 10 .500 3 Hawaii 9 12 .429 4-1/2 Brigham Young 8 13 .381 5-1/2 New Mexico 8 13 .381 5-1/2 Air Force 6 14 .300 7 Utah 4 15 .211 8-1/2Six teams qualify for the conference tournament, May 13-16, at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the San Diego State campus. The three division winners automatically qualify regardless of their conference record. The next three teams with the best conference record also qualify.
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