COLLEGE BASEBALL
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii pitcher Mark Rodrigues dropped the ball at the plate as SDSU's Nick Romero slid in for a run in the top of the second inning last night.
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Rainbows bring down Aztecs
The Hawaii baseball team won its third consecutive game to clinch the series with San Diego State with a 9-7 victory at Les Murakami Stadium last night before 1,724 fans.
The series finale starts today at 1 p.m.
Tyler Davis, a transfer from Santa Barbara Community College, pitched the final four innings to earn his first win as a Rainbow. He held the Aztecs to two hits and one unearned run.
"Tyler got the nerves out of his system the other night (in Wednesday's opener)," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "Tonight he was the key for us. He came in and put zeros on the board and we needed that at that time.
"There is no quit in those guys over there."
This is UH's first 3-0 start since the 1999 season.
Luis Avila, in his first start of the year, was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs batted in as the designated hitter. He replaced Justin Frash, the DH the first two games, who has a strained left shoulder.
"Luis is an aggressive hitter and is better when he hits to all fields like he did with the first double," Trapasso said. "I wasn't going to put him in the lineup until I saw him in batting practice."
The Rainbows took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the first time they got on the scoreboard first in the series.
Robbie Wilder led off with a single to left. On a hit-and-run play, Eli Christensen grounded a single to right. SDSU right fielder Curt Mendoza overran the ball which rolled to the wall, allowing both runners to score.
It was the Aztecs' 11th error of the series.
Mendoza started a three-run Aztec second with a line-double into the left-field corner. He moved to third on Brock Ungricht's double inside the third-base bag. Mendoza scored and Ungricht advanced to third on UH starter Mark Rodrigues' wild pitch.
Ungricht scored on Nick Romero's singled to right. Romero moved to third on consecutive fielder's choices and scored on a wild pitch for a 3-2 Aztec lead.
After the teams traded runs in the third, Hawaii retook the lead with a three-run fourth.
Avila lined Jared Suwyn's first pitch to the alley in right-center for a two-run double. Avila took third on Franco's bloop-single to right and scored on Esteban Lopez's sacrifice fly to center.
Rodrigues returned the favor by walking two Aztecs with Quintin Berry's bunt single sandwiched in between to load the bases. Mike Willeford scored on Mendoza's fielder's choice, cutting the UH lead to 6-5.
San Diego State tied it at 6-6 in the sixth. Jordan Swaydan doubled to left-center field to open the inning. After Rodrigues' first two pitches to the next batter were balls, Trapasso called Tyler Davis in from the bullpen.
Romero's fly to center moved Swaydan to third. He scored on Joseph Scaperotta's grounder to first.
UH regained the lead at 7-6 in the bottom of the inning. Franco drew a one-out walk, took third on a wild pickoff throw to first by SDSU's fourth pitcher, Justin Lynch, and scored on Lopez's double to left.
The Rainbows went ahead 9-6 in the seventh with a pair of runs after two were out.
Hee singled to center, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Inouye's single to left. Avila ripped the first pitch into the left field for a run-scoring double.
"Coach (Keith) Komeiji told me to watch for the breaking pitch because that was all they were throwing me," said Avila, whose two doubles both came on the first pitch.
Hawaii 9, San Diego St. 7
SDSU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Berry, cf |
5 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Wilder, cf |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
Zawadzki, ss |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Dupree, cf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Pepper, 2b |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Christansen, 2b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Smyth, 1b3b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
Hee, 3b |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0
|
Mendoza, rf |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Inouye, rf |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1
|
Ungricht, dh |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Avila, dh |
5 |
1 |
3 |
3
|
Swaydan, c |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Franco, lf |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0
|
Romero, 2bss |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Lopez, c |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2
|
Scaperotta, lf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Rimes, 1b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Willeford, 3b |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Young, ss |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1
|
Huskins, ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Spirnak, 1b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
35 |
7 |
11 |
5 |
Totals |
34 |
9 |
12 |
7
|
San Diego St. |
|
031 |
011 |
010 |
-- |
7 |
11 |
3
|
Hawaii |
|
|
201 |
301 |
20x |
-- |
9 |
12 |
2 |
E--Mendoza, Romero, Lynch, Christansen, Young. DP--Hawaii 1. LOB--SDSU 7, Hawaii 14. 2B--Berry, Smyth, Mendoza, Ungricht, Swaydan, Scaperotta, Avila 2, Lopez. SH--Pepper 2. SF--Lopez. CS--Berry, Scaperotta, Inouye 2.
SDSU |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Campbell |
2 2/3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
2
|
Suwyn |
2/3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1
|
Miller |
1 2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1
|
Lynch (L, 0-1) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Lindsey |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0
|
Matthews |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Rodrigues |
5 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
3
|
Davis (W, 1-0) |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
WP--Miller, Lindsey, Rodrigues 2. HBP--by Campbell (Young); by Campbell (Christansen); by Campbell (Young); by Suwyn (Inouye).
Umpires--Jim LeBeau (plate), Keoki Torres (first), Gary Montalbo (third).
T--3:16. A--1,724.