RAINBOW BASEBALL
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
San Jose State's Brody Massman tagged out Hawaii's Joe Spiers at home plate in the fifth inning yesterday at Les Murakami Stadium.
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’Bows drop Spartans to take series
Thunder could be heard in the vicinity of Les Murakami Stadium from the fifth inning on yesterday, but it wasn't until the eighth inning that the Hawaii Rainbow bats produced their own thunder.
Locked in a tense struggle with the San Jose State Spartans all weekend, the 'Bows scored three runs in the eighth to breathe easily for the first time in the Western Athletic Conference baseball series.
Hawaii (24-9, 2-3) won the three-game series with a 7-3 victory before 898 fans, the eighth series win for UH this season.
"We were playing the scrappiest team I've ever seen. They were taking a lot of pitches the first five innings. You knew after 25 innings the first two days that the hitters would come out flat," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso.
UH starter Ian Harrington and his SJSU counterpart Josh Amberson matched shutout innings until the fifth, when the 'Bows used their short-ball game to score twice.
Eli Christensen walked and was sacrificed to second by Joe Spiers, who was safe at first when Christensen beat the throw to second. Robbie Wilder sacrificed the runners up a base. Derek DuPree singled Christensen home, but Spiers was tagged out at home trying to score, with DuPree taking second. Justin Frash singled DuPree home for a 2-0 lead.
The Spartans' knack of answering immediately appeared again in top of the sixth with two outs.
Pinch hitter Chris Williammee singled to right and took third on Sam Hall's double into the right-field corner.
Brian Chase tied the score at 2-2 for the Spartans (20-12, 3-3) with a two-run single to left.
"Coach Trap told me before the game I had to be efficient with my pitches because our bullpen was a little thin. I can't seem to sneak through the nasty sixth inning," said Harrington, who after a visit from Trapasso stayed in the game.
"Ian was Sunday tough. He has trouble around 80 pitches, but I left him in and he delivered. It's new territory for him," Trapasso said.
Hawaii built a two-run lead again in the seventh after Christensen led off with a single to right and moved to second on Spiers' sacrifice bunt.
With two strikes, Wilder slashed one down the third-base line that Raul Campos dove for, but the ball rolled off the end of his glove into foul territory, allowing Christensen to score.
"It was a changeup off the plate. They pitched us outside all series. I struggled all weekend and I just wanted to get the bat on the ball. I thought he (Campos) would make the diving play," said Wilder.
Wilder reached second, took third on DuPree's bunt single and scored on Frash's double to left-center field.
Trailing 4-2, the Spartans mounted a second rally when Ryan Angel and Williammee singled to start the eighth inning and moved to third and second on Hall's groundout.
This time Trapasso went to the bullpen and brought in closer Darrell Fisherbaugh. He got the final two outs on ground balls to third baseman Jon Hee, limiting SJSU to one run.
Hee began the eighth with a first-pitch single to center and advanced to second on Christensen's sacrifice bunt.
Spiers bounced a ball back to SJSU's third pitcher Brandon Hennessey, who threw to third in time to get Hee for the second out.
Wilder followed with a single to center and Spiers stopped at second. DuPree singled to left, scoring Spiers, with Wilder stopping at second. Frash brought both runners home with his second double, a drive to deep right.
"They had thrown me a lot of changeups, but I still wasn't looking fastball," said Frash. "I just wanted a ball I could drive. It was a changeup and I was a little out in front (of the pitch), but I got the head of my bat on the ball.
"We needed to win a WAC series. We just have to keep winning series."
Trapasso said, "The eighth inning was huge for us because of the way the Spartans always seemed to answer."
Fisherbaugh hit the first batter he faced in the ninth, but got Campos to hit into a double play and fanned Brody Massman for the final out and his sixth save.
The Rainbows play their next seven games on the mainland, starting with first-place Fresno State on Friday. The Bulldogs lost 9-8 at New Mexico State yesterday, ending a 17-game winning streak.
Hawaii 7, SJSU 3
SJSU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Angel lfrf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Wilder lf |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1
|
Balatico rf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
DuPree cf |
5 |
2 |
3 |
2
|
Williammee phlf |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Frash dh |
4 |
0 |
3 |
4
|
Hall cf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Avila 1b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Chase dh |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Inouye rf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Shaffer ss |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lopez c |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Epidendio 1b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Hee 3b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0
|
Campos 3b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Christensen ss |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0
|
Massman c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Spiers 2b |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Pierson 2b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Totals |
33 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
Totals |
30 |
7 |
12 |
7 |
SJSU |
|
|
|
000 |
002 |
010 |
-- |
3 |
8 |
0
|
Hawaii |
|
|
|
000 |
020 |
23x |
-- |
7 |
12 |
0 |
DP--SJSU 1; Hawaii 2. LOB--SJSU 5, Hawaii 9. 2B--Hall; Massman; Wilder; Frash 2. S--Wilder; Christensen; Spiers 2. SB--Angel; Williammee. |
San Jose State |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Amberson |
6 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
6
|
Winck (L, 2-1) |
1 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0
|
Hennessey |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0
|
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Harrington (W, 4-1) |
7 1/3 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
5
|
Fisherbaugh (S, 6) |
1 2/3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Winck faced 1 batter in the 8th.
HBP--by Amberson (Frash); by Amberson (Lopez); by Winck (Inouye); by Fisherbaugh (Epidendio).
Umpires--Ron Ridd (plate), Joe Burleson (first), Danny Mascorro (third).
T--2:40. A--898.
Saturday's late result
Hawaii 6, SJSU 5, 13 inn.
SJSU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Angel lf2b |
7 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Wilder lf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Pierson 2b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Hernandez phc |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1
|
Fyfe ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
DuPree cf |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Agatep 2b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Frash dh |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
Williammee phlf |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Avila 1b |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Hall cf |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Inouye rf |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
Chase dh |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Lopez c |
6 |
1 |
4 |
1
|
Shaffer ss |
7 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Franco prlf |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1
|
Epidendio 1b |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Hee 3b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Loewenthal phrf |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Christensen ss |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Balatico rf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Roberts ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Giovanatto phrf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Young ss |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Campos 3b |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Spiers 2b |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
Santich- Hughes c |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Sanders ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Massman c |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1
|
Totals |
51 |
5 |
12 |
5 |
Totals |
47 |
6 |
14 |
3 |
SJSU |
|
000 |
002 |
002 |
001 |
0 |
-- |
5 |
12 |
2
|
Hawaii |
|
000 |
020 |
020 |
001 |
1 |
-- |
6 |
14 |
2 |
Note: 2 outs, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.
E--Epidendio; Campos; Hee; Spiers. DP--Hawaii 1. LOB--SJSU 15, Hawaii 16. 2B--Angel; Lopez 2. 3B--Hall. HR--Chase. S--Wilder; Avila; Inouye; Hee. SF--Franco. SB--Hall; Hernandez; Spiers. CS--Lopez.
San Jose State |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Moneypenny |
7 1/3 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
6
|
Shannon |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Jones |
2 1/3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1
|
Jimenez |
2/3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Vidal (L, 1-3) |
1/3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Costi |
6 2/3 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5
|
Rodrigues |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1
|
Davis |
3 1/3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
5
|
Daly (W, 5-0) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
WP--Shannon. HBP--by Jones (Spiers); by Daly (Williammee). PB--Santich-Hughes 2.
Umpires--Danny Mascorro (plate), Ron Ridd (first), Joe Burleson (third).
T--4:43. A--2,008.