[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
Rainbows exceed
last year’s win total
The Hawaii Rainbows built a significant lead at Pacific yesterday, then almost let it slip away.
The Tigers cut an eight-run deficit down to two and had the bases loaded when the last out was finally recorded.
Hawaii right-hander Ricky Bauer, Friday's starting pitcher at San Jose State, came to the rescue. He survived a bad-hop single to left and a fielding error by shortstop Brian Finegan, both on perfect double-play balls, to get the final three outs and preserve the 12-10 nonconference victory at Billy Hebert Field.
The Tigers had the bases loaded and the heart of their lineup coming up for the second time in the inning when the junior right-hander induced Evan Bishop to ground into a fielder's choice for the final out.
The victory gives Hawaii one more win than last year with three Western Athletic Conference games remaining against San Jose State this weekend.
"Even in the ninth inning, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I should have been," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
"I'm thinking we've already cleared the bench so what would happen if they tie the score. What was important was to just win the game because people were getting all riled up in the dugout."
The Rainbows (31-21) got off to a fast start by putting five first-inning runs on the board.
Finegan tripled to right field to start the third-biggest first inning of the season. Only the run production in the opening inning against Chicago State in both Rainbow Tournament games was greater.
Greg Kish's single to center scored Finegan. Matt Inouye was hit by a pitch and Jaziel Mendoza beat out a bunt single toward third, loading the bases. Kish scored on Rocky Russo's sacrifice fly with Inouye moving to third.
Andrew Sansaver brought Inouye home with a sacrifice bunt. Isaac Omura culminated the inning by blasting UOP starter Eric Stolp's first pitch over the right-field wall with Mendoza scoring ahead of the UH sophomore. It was Omura's third home run of the season.
Josh Green walked to start the second and eventually scored on a ground single to right by Mendoza for a 6-1 lead.
Walks to Inouye and Russo paid off for UH in the fourth as Sansaver followed with a homer over the right-field wall.
The 'Bows increased their lead to 11-1 in the top of the fifth after two were out.
Finegan walked and Kish was safe on an error by Pacific third baseman Jesse Kovacs. Inouye was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, loading the bases. Mendoza walked, forcing Finegan home and Russo singled off the pitcher's glove, scoring Kish.
Steven Wright, who allowed one run and four hits through the first four innings, ran into trouble in the fifth when his defense booted a ball and threw another one away.
Brandon Gottier single to left to start the inning. Third baseman Schafer Magana booted a ball and Brian Harper singled to load the bases. With one out, Jordan Sieber doubled to left, clearing the bases.
When Adam Ringer walked, Trapasso brought Guy McDowell in from the bullpen. McDowell needed two pitches to get the final two outs and went on to retire 11 of the 12 Tigers (20-34) he faced.
"Guy was outstanding. He really bounced back from (his unsuccessful outings) in Reno," Trapasso said. "One thing he did today was throw a different type of changeup. It's probably the first time he's gotten two outs on a changeup in one outing."
UH's final run came on a solo homer by Magana in the sixth.
Chuck Withers took over for McDowell to start the ninth, but threw just two strikes in walking the first two batters, hitting the third and giving up a single to the fourth.
Hawaii 12, Pacific 10
Hawaii AB R H BI Pacific AB R H BI Finegan ss 4 2 2 0 Gottier c 4 2 3 1 Kish rf 5 2 1 1 Bishop lf 2 0 0 1 Inouye c-cf 2 2 0 0 Harper 1b 2 1 1 1 Mendoza lf 4 1 2 2 Kovacs 3b 5 1 0 0 Thurber lf 0 0 0 0 Seiber dh 4 0 1 1 Russo dh 3 1 1 2 Ringer rf 3 1 1 1 Sansaver 3 1 2 4 LaMattina 2b 5 0 1 1 Omura 2b 4 1 1 2 Amerquita ss 3 2 2 0 Castillo ph-2b 1 0 0 0 Sekiya cf 4 1 1 1 Magana 3b 5 1 2 1 Green cf 3 1 0 0 Bell-Irving c 1 0 0 0 Totals 35 12 11 12 Totals 37 10 11 10
Hawaii 510 321 000 -- 12 11 4 Pacific 100 030 006 -- 10 11 1
E--Finegan (15), Magana 2 (4), Wright (1), Kovacs (14). DP--Hawaii 1, UOP 1. LOB--Hawaii 8, UOP 10. 2B--Seiber 2. 3B--Finegan. HR--Sansaver (3), Omura (4), Magana (1). SH--Finegan, Sansaver, LaMattina. SF--Russo, Kovacs, Amezquita. SB--Finegan, Inouye.
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Wright 4 1/3 7 4 4 3 1 McDowell (W,4-1) 3 2/3 1 0 0 0 4 Withers 0 1 4 4 1 0 Bauer 1 2 2 1 0 0 Pacific IP H R ER BB SO Stolp (L,2-8) 1 2/3 5 6 6 2 0 Barbic 2 1/3 2 3 3 3 2 Mathews 1 1 2 0 2 1 Schultz 1 1 1 1 0 2 Schmidt 2 1 0 0 0 2 Willick 1 1 0 0 0 1
Withers faced four batters in the ninth.
WP--Bauer, Barbic. PB--Gottier. BK--Barbic. HBP--by Stolp (Inouye), by Mathews (Inouye), by Withers (Harper), by Bauer (Sekiya).
Umpires--Marcel Aula (plate), Bryan Rose (first), Jeff Henrichs (third). T--3:00. A--141.
