[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
RENO, Nev. >> When Hawaii fell behind by eight runs after four innings against right-handed nemesis Mateo Miramontes, it would have been easy to count the Rainbows out. UH loses slugfest in Reno
From staff and wire reports
Miramontes had blanked UH at Murakami Stadium and beaten the 'Bows twice as a freshman. He did get the victory yesterday, but not until the Rainbows had battled back before losing the opener of the Western Athletic Conference series 14-10.
The conditions at Peccole Park were vastly different that those normally found at Murakami Stadium.
"The conditions were not good for the pitchers on either side. There was a gusting wind blowing straight out. All you had to do was make contact and you had a chance of hitting the ball out. It's just a very interesting setting," said UH coach Mike Trapasso.
Hawaii starter Chris George struggled from the beginning, hitting five batters in his shortest starting stint of the season, 313 innings. That set a UH single-game record and was a major contributor to the team record of six.
George escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning without Nevada scoring, but he tied the school record with three hit batters in the second inning when the Wolf Pack scored six runs.
When Mike Hass belted a three-run homer over the right-center field wall in the fourth, Trapasso called it a day for George and brought in Sean Yamashita, who got out of the inning without further damage.
The Rainbows rallied in the top of the fifth with seven runs to make the score 9-8.
Kevin Gilbride (playing first base in place of the injured Gregg Omori), Julian Russell and Brian Bock started the inning with singles, with Gilbride scoring on Bock's hit to right. Danny Mocny reached on an error by Mike Gillies at first, loading the bases. Lane Nogawa walked, forcing home Russell.
Brent Cook, who homered to left in the first inning, hit a short fly to right that fell in front of Hass. But Hass threw home for a forceout on Bock.
Scooter Martines followed with a two-run single to right and Derek Honma capped the inning with a three-run homer to left-center field.
But Yamashita ran into more trouble in the fifth after retiring leadoff batter Chris Dickerson. Consecutive singles by Taylor Pullins, Gillies and Tony Cappuccilli brought in one run. Hass then drove in his eighth run of the game with another three-run homer as the Wolf Pack (23-29 overall, 8-17 WAC) pulled ahead 13-8.
"We have the worst umpiring I've seen in years behind the plate and that had a lot to do with what happened," said Trapasso.
"We haven't been in a slugfest all year. It was kind of fun to be in one. It was a situation where you never felt you were out of it."
Unfortunately for the 'Bows (16-35, 5-20) there weren't enough key hits the remainder of the game. They left the bases loaded in the sixth after scoring once. They scored again in the seventh, but the inning ended with a double play. Hawaii also got the first two batters aboard in the eighth, but didn't score.
Notes: Omori hurt the biceps tendon in his right arm playing catch in the outfield before practice Friday. He will be examined by a doctor today. "Greg said it felt like someone stabbed him in the front of the shoulder," said Trapasso. ... The 35 defeats is the most ever for a UH team. ... Ricky Bauer gets the start today.
Nevada 14, Hawaii 10
Hawaii (16-35) AB R H BI Nevada (23-29) AB R H BI Mocny 3b 5 1 1 1 Dickerson cf 5 1 2 0 Nogawa 2b 3 1 2 1 Pullins ss 3 3 2 1 Cook cf 5 2 3 1 Gillies 1b 5 2 2 2 Martines dh 5 1 2 2 Cappuccilli dh 3 3 2 1 Honma lf 4 1 1 3 Hass rf 6 2 3 8 Montgomery rf 5 0 0 0 Markel c 4 0 1 0 Gilbride 1b 5 2 3 0 Butler 3b 5 1 2 0 Russell ss 5 2 3 0 Gimenez lf 3 2 1 1 Bock c 5 0 2 2 Maguire 2b 3 0 0 0 Totals 42 10 17 10 Total 37 14 15 13
Hawaii 100 071 100 -- 10 17 1 Nevada 060 340 10x -- 4 8 2 E--Mocny (5), Gillies (14). DP--Hawaii 1 (Russell-Nogawa-Gilbride), Nevada 3 (Butler-Maguire-Gillies, Pullins-Maguire-Gillies, Dickerson-Gillies). LOB--Hawaii 8, Nevada 12. 2B--Russell 2(7), Butler (5). HR--Cook (1), Honma (1), Hass 2(10), Gimenez (4). SH--Gillies (3), Maguire (5). SB--Pullins (7).
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO George (L, 6-5) 313 6 9 9 2 4 Yamashita 1 6 4 4 0 0 Pribble 323 3 1 1 3 3 Nevada IP H R ER BB SO Miramontes (W, 6-7) 613 14 10 9 3 6 Johnson (S, 4) 223 3 0 0 0 0 WP-- George (11), Yamashita (2), Pribble (5).HBP--by George (Pullins), by George (Cappuccilli), by George (Gimenez), by George (Pullins), by George (Cappuccilli), by Pribble (Gimenez). Umpires--HP: Kelly Gonzales, 1B: Bill Speck, 3B: Rick Saxton. T--2:53. A--1340.
WAC standings
Yesterday
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Rice 24 2 .923 -- 43 11 .796 San Jose St. 18 9 .667 612 42 15 .737 Fresno St. 16 10 .615 8 29 26 .527 Nevada 8 17 .320 1512 23 29 .442 LaTech 7 20 .259 1712 21 33 .389 Hawaii 5 20 .200 1812 16 35 .313
Nevada 14, Hawaii 10
Nebraska 7, Louisiana Tech 1
Rice 17, Fresno State 9Today
Hawaii at Nevada, 10 a.m. Hawaii time
Rice at Fresno State
Louisiana Tech at Nebraska
UH Athletics
