UH takes another tumble

The Hawaii baseball team struck out in the win column on its first road trip of 2005, falling 5-3 yesterday as Fresno State completed a three-game sweep and the Rainbows finished their road trip 0-4.

The Rainbows did take advantage of three Fresno State errors to score three runs, their maximum at Fresno's Pete Bieden Field, but blew a great chance to take a lead in the seventh inning.

Having escaped the UH threat, the Bulldogs made use of Erik Ammon's throwing error in the bottom of the seventh to break a 3-3 tie and win the Western Athletic Conference game.

Hawaii drops to 13-16 overall, 1-5 in league play and returns home to open a series against the hot San Jose State Spartans on Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.

"It's the same story. Write it any way you want. You get four hits, you lose," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We're just not playing well."

The 'Bows scored first in the fourth inning. Isaac Omura and Matt Inouye reached base on consecutive errors by FSU second baseman DeAndre Miller, and Adam Roberts walked. Schafer Magana's single to right scored Omura and Inouye.

The Bulldogs (17-15, 3-0) came right back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line by Kent Sakamoto to tie the score.

Hawaii went ahead 3-2 in the fifth when Joe Spiers was safe on a fielding error by shortstop Christian Vitters. Consecutive singles by Ammon and Omura brought Spiers home.

UH starter Justin Costi retired the first two batters in the sixth, but Spiers committed a fielding error on Ryan Overland's grounder and it cost UH. Sakamoto, playing first base because FSU's regular first baseman, Doug Fister, was pitching, doubled off the left-field wall to score Overland and make it 3-3.

The 'Bows attempted to respond in the seventh when Greg Kish walked to start the inning. Derek Dupree showed bunt, then slashed the pitch to the hole at short for an infield single. Spiers' sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base.

Fister bore down and fanned Ammon looking on three pitches. Omura, the hottest and most consistent UH hitter, was intentionally walked. Fister then struck out Inouye on a 1-2 pitch.

Off the hook and still tied, the Bulldogs turned Costi's third walk of the game, to Nick Moresi with one out in the seventh, into the tie-breaking run.

Moresi took third on Beau Mills' single to right. With designated hitter David Gomez at the plate, FSU coach Mike Batesole called for a squeeze bunt. But when Gomez missed the pitch, Ammon's throw trying to get Moresi heading back to third sailed into left field, allowing Moresi to score. Mills took second and scored an insurance run on Gomez's single to center.

Trapasso was pleased with the outing by Costi, whose three losses have come on Sundays.

"It was the best Justin threw this year. I liked the way he pitched, but we made a couple of mistakes behind him and couldn't take advantage of all the mistakes (the Bulldogs) made," said Trapasso.

Ryan Penn set the Rainbows down in order in the eighth and only a two-out walk to Spiers marred Rudy Quinonez's saving effort in the ninth.

Fresno State 5, Hawaii 3

Hawaii	AB	R	H	BI	FSU	AB	R	H	BI
Spiers ss	3	1	0	0	Miller 2b	4	0	0	0
Ammon c	5	0	1	0	Vitters ss	4	0	1	0
Omura 2b	3	1	1	1	Moresi cf	3	1	2	0
Inouye rf	4	1	0	0	Mills 3b	3	1	1	0
Roberts 1b	3	0	0	0	Gomez dh	4	0	1	1
Magana 3b	4	0	1	2	ÊThomas dh	0	0	0	0
Piaskowski dh	4	0	0	0	Moore rf	4	0	1	0
Kish lf	3	0	0	0	Susdorf lf	4	1	0	0
Dupree cf	4	0	1	0	ÊLapin lf	0	0	0	0
					Overland c	4	2	1	0
					Sakamoto 1b	3	0	2	3
					ÊFister pÚ1b	1	0	0	0
Totals	33	3	4	3	Totals	34	5	9	4
Hawaii	000	210	000	--	3	4	2
FSU	000	201	200	--	5	9	4

E--Spiers; Ammon; Miller 3; Vitters. LOB--Hawaii 8, FSU 8. 2B--Vitters; Sakamoto 2. SH--Spiers. SB--Moresi. CS--Roberts.

Hawaii	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Costi (L, 1-3)	6 1/3	9	5	3	3	4
Fisherbaugh	1 2/3	0	0	0	0	1
FSU	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Fister (W, 4-2)	7	4	3	0	3	7
Penn	1	0	0	0	0	2
Quinonez (S, 1)	1	0	0	0	1	1

WP--Costi; Quinonez.
Umpires--Mark Beller (plate), Danny Mascarro (first), Dick Flaherty (third).
T--2:16. A--1,858.

WAC standings

	Conference				Overall
	W	L	Pct.	GB	W	L
Fresno State	3	0	1.000	1/2	17	15
San Jose State*	5	1	.833	--	15	9
Louisiana Tech	3	3	.500	2	10	17
Nevada	1	2	.333	2 1/2	13	10
Rice	2	4	.333	3	18	9
Hawaii	1	5	.167	4	13	16

* -- San Jose State has one nonconference tie
Yesterday
Fresno State 5, Hawaii 3
Nevada 7, Rice 5