Ninth-inning homer lifts
No. 4 Rice over UH
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.com
Hunter Brown ripped a 1-2 pitch off reliever Sean Yamashita over the left-center field wall for a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to rally the fourth-ranked Rice Owls to a 9-7 Western Athletic Conference victory over Hawaii, before 1,435 fans at Murakami Stadium last night.
It was the first home run of the season for the preseason WAC Player of the Year.
"We've played some close games and won, but nothing near as dramatic as this," said Rice coach Wayne Graham. "Sometimes, a guy hangs one and you've got to go get it. And Hunter did that."
The Rainbows (7-10 overall, 0-1 WAC) broke a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a one-run lead in the opener of the three-game series. Brent Cook walked, stole second and came home on Lane Nogawa's two-out single to center.
The Rice rally began when Vincent Sinisi, who hit two home runs, walked on four pitches after Yamashita retired the first two Owls.
"We told Sean if we had two outs, we didn't want anything up in the zone to Sinisi that he could get aggressive with," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
Eric Arnold singled to right, giving the Owls two base runners to lead Brown home.
"Sean threw a hanging curve and we didn't get a couple of bunts down, but if we play like this, with this intensity, the rest of the year, then we'll turn things around and be someone to be reckoned with," Trapasso said.
Both teams scored two runs in the first inning. The Owls (13-4, 1-0) got on the board when Sinisi powered a Bryan Lee pitch over the center-field wall with Austin Davis, who had singled, on base. Sinisi's homer, his second of the season, came on a two-out, 1-1 pitch.
The Rainbows didn't get anything going against Rice right-hander Philip Humber until Nogawa grounded a two-out single to center and took second on Scooter Martines' slow-roller up the third-base line. Cortland Wilson was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Derek Honma worked the count full, then singled to center, scoring Nogawa and Martines.
Rice took the lead again in the top of the third when Eric Arnold's first-pitch single to center scored Enrique Cruz from third base. Cruz had reached first on a fielder's choice and moved to third on a single by Sinisi.
Hawaii was guilty of leaving nine men on base through the first four innings, but did tie the score at 3 in the fourth.
Cook singled to right with one out, took second when Kevin Gilbride walked, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Humber.
The Owls responded and took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when leadoff hitter Chris Kolkhorst doubled into the left-field corner on Lee's first pitch. Kolkhorst scored on Davis' opposite-field single to left on a one-strike pitch.
After Lee gave up a leadoff single to Davis in the seventh and fanned Cruz, Trapasso brought in Yamashita to face Sinisi. Yamashita's first pitch landed on the other side of the right-field wall for a two-run homer, Sinisi's second of the night and third of the year.
"Bryan was empty and was getting the ball up," said Trapasso. "He had to battle the whole game and I almost let Sean start the inning."
Rice 9, Hawaii 7
| Rice |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
| Kolkhorst dh |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Cook 3b |
5 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| Davis lf |
5 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
Gilbride rf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Cruz ss |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Nogawa 2b |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
| Sinisi 1b |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
Martines dh |
5 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| Arnold 2b |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Wilson ss |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Brown 3b |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Honma lf |
5 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
| Porfirio cf |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Omori 1b |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
| Lorsbach rf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Montgmry cf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Ruchti c |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Guillen ph/cf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Bubela c/ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Bock c |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Blackinton c |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
39 |
9 |
13 |
9 |
Totals |
38 |
7 |
12 |
6 |
| Rice |
201 |
010 |
203 |
-- |
9 |
13 |
1 |
| Hawaii |
200 |
103 |
100 |
-- |
7 |
12 |
0 |
E -- Cruz. DP -- Rice 1. LOB -- Rice 7, Hawaii 15. 2B -- Kolkhorst, Brown, Cook, Honma, Omori. HR -- Sinisi 2, Brown. SB -- Arnold, Cook 2. SH -- Nogawa.
| Rice |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Humber |
3.2 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
| Crowder |
3.0 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| Tribe (W, 2-2) |
2.1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Lee |
6.1 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
| Yamashita (L, 0-2) |
2.2 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
WP -- Humber, Crowder. HBP-- by Humber (Wilson); by Tribe (Nogawa). Umpires -- Burleson (plate), Montalbo (first), Speck (third).
T--3:04. A--1,435.
