FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Washington's Matthew Thomas stole second base ahead of a throw to UH shortstop Troy Hanzawa in yesterday's game.

UH can’t shake
Sunday blues

Daman is dominant as Cougars
earn split with Rainbows

The Hawaii baseball team hosts a five-day tournament this week and the Rainbows should be glad it does not end next Sunday.

The 'Bows have been flat and lost three consecutive Sunday games after winning three Saturday night games by one run, two in extra innings.

Yesterday, Washington State earned a split of the four-game, nonconference series with a 7-1 win on a three-hitter authored by Wayne Daman Jr. for eight innings. Dane Renkert closed out the game, giving up no hits in the ninth.

"(Daman) was throwing strikes and we weren't hitting them. Give them credit for coming out to play," UH senior co-captain Greg Kish said. "We need to find a way to get everyone going again. We can't take a game off because it will hurt us like today."

Hawaii (7-5) managed just one hit after the second inning despite the urging of 1,269 fans at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Cougars (7-7) got on the scoreboard first against junior right-hander Justin Costi, who was not as sharp as he was the previous two Sundays.

Jason Freeman's one-out single to left-center field got the WSU offense going. He took third when Jay Miller sliced a 2-2 pitch down the right-field line for a double and scored on Brady Everett's groundout.

Joe Spiers walked to start the UH first. He moved to second when Matt Inouye was hit by a pitch and scored on Luis Avila's line single to left. After Schafer Magana failed on a safety squeeze, Kish walked to load the bases.

Daman avoided further trouble by catching Ryan Asato's off-the-handle popup behind the mound.

"We should have made it tougher for (Daman). He kept the ball down and had command of everything," Magana said. "We need to figure out how to be more competitive."

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso made one of several trips to the mound yesterday to talk to starting pitcher Justin Costi.

Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said, "If we knew why (we're flat on Sunday), it wouldn't happen. We didn't hit, pitch or field today."

Costi escaped serious trouble in the third when Freeman singled to center with one out. The UH right-hander then hit Miller and Everett with pitches to load the sacks. But Zach Kosturos lined a one-strike pitch right at Magana at third and he whipped a throw to first in time to double up Everett.

Costi created his own ill fortune in the fourth after Zach McAngus and Grant Alexander singled on the first pitch to put runners at first and second. On Jeff Miller's sacrifice bunt, Costi threw the ball into foul territory down the left-field line, allowing McAngus to score, with Alexander going to third and Jeff Miller to second.

Alexander scored as Matthew Thomas hit a grounder to the right (opposite) side, a good fundamental at-bat, and Jeff Miller came home when Kaeo Rubin drove reliever Steven Wright's first pitch to center for a sacrifice fly.

"It was only a matter of time before we had to get Justin out of there. Even his outs were hit hard," Trapasso said.

One small bright spot was the relief work of junior left-hander Kyle Thomas, who allowed two hits and two runs in 2 2/3 innings, his longest outing.

Spiers' 11-game hitting streak ended when he went 0-for-4 with a walk.

Washington State 7, Hawaii 1

WSU	AB	R	H	BI	Hawaii	AB	R	H	BI
Rubin rf	3	0	0	1	Spiers 2b	4	1	0	0
Freeman cf	5	1	2	0	Hanzawa ss	3	0	1	0
Miller, Ja. lf	2	1	1	0	Inouye cfÚc	3	0	0	0
Everett c	4	0	0	1	Avila 1b	4	0	1	1
Kosturos dh	4	0	1	0	Magana 3b	3	0	1	0
ÊFranklin ph	1	0	1	1	Kish dh	3	0	0	0
ÊKimbrel pr	0	1	0	0	Asato rf	3	0	0	0
McAngus 3b	5	2	3	0	Ammon c	2	0	0	0
Alexander 1b	4	1	2	2	ÊDupree phÚcf	1	0	0	0
Miller, Je. 2b	3	1	0	0	ÊRusso ph	1	0	0	0
Thomas ss	4	0	1	1	Wilder lf	2	0	0	0
Totals	35	7	11	6	Totals	29	1	3	1

WSU	100	300	003		--	7	11	1
Hawaii	100	000	000		--	1	3	3

E--McAngus (11); Hanzawa 2 (3); Costi (1). DP--WSU 1, Hawaii 1. LOB--WSU 10, Hawaii 9. 2B--Miller, Ja. (3); Alexander (1). SH--Alexander (1); Miller, Je. (2); Magana (3). SF--Rubin (1). SB--Freeman (4); Miller, Ja. (3); Thomas (2). CS--Kosturos (2).

WSU	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Daman Jr. (W, 2-0)	8	3	1	1	5	7
Rankert	1	0	0	0	1	1
Hawaii	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Costi (L, 0-2)	3 1/3	6	4	1	0	1
Wright	1 2/3	1	0	0	0	0
Thomas	3 2/3	2	2	2	2	2
Ellenbrook	1/3	2	1	1	1	0

WP--Renkert (3); Wright (2). HBP--by Daman (Inouye); by Costi (Miller, Ja.); by Costi (Everett); by Thomas (Miller, Ja.). PB--Inouye (1).
Umpires--Cary Izuka (home), Mike Evans (first), Keoki Torres (third).
T--2:54. A--2,344.