RAINBOW BASEBALL
Rainbows find another solid reliever
Kramer comes in and shuts down the Panthers to give Hawaii another win
The final score doesn't indicate it, but Hawaii was in a battle with Wisconsin-Milwaukee last night in the first meeting of their four-game baseball series.
But a gathering of 1,074 at Les Murakami Stadium saw Jayson Kramer again provide clutch relief pitching and the Rainbows put the game away with what coach Mike Trapasso called the team's best offensive inning of the season.
UH won 9-2, and improved to 16-8 for the season. The Panthers are 0-10.
Justin Frash and Kris Sanchez led the Rainbows' 14-hit attack with four hits apiece.
Kramer relieved Matt Daly with the score 4-2 in the seventh and the bases loaded, with one out and a 1-0 count on pinch hitter Josh Groves. He struck out Groves and got Rob Brockel to hit into an inning-ending groundout to second baseman Jon Hee.
"That was a real coming-of-age outing," Trapasso said, after Kramer finished up, allowing just one hit in the final 2 2/3 innings for his first save. "That's exactly what we need, another arm we can rely on in tough situations."
In some ways, it was similar to Kramer's last performance, when he relieved in a bases-loaded situation in a tight game against Chicago State two weeks ago and went 4 1/3 shutout innings for the victory.
"Any situation a reliever comes in you have to throw strikes right away," said Kramer, whose ERA dropped to 2.55. "Get the guys in the dugout so they can score some runs for us."
That's exactly what happened last night, as UH put the game away with four in the bottom half of the seventh after Kramer got them out of the jam in the top half.
Hee and Frash started the rally with doubles, and Sanchez and Jorge Franco also contributed RBI singles. Vinnie Catricala also drove in a run with a successful squeeze bunt.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first. Grant Berkovitz started the game with a single, and Jesse Hart plated him immediately with a double.
UH tied it when Catricala's single drove in Sanchez, who singled to lead off the fourth.
Singles by Frash and Brandon Haislet sparked UH's three-run fifth, which was also greatly aided by two Panthers errors.
Sanchez reached when shortstop Berkovitz's throw pulled 6-foot-7 first baseman Andy Hetebrueg off first, allowing Frash to score.
Then right fielder Brockel misplayed a sinking liner hit by Eli Christensen for a three-base error, scoring Haislet and Sanchez, and Hawaii led 4-1.
Hetebrueg doubled and scored when Troy Vesling hit a sacrifice fly to center off Daly in the sixth.
Rainbows starter and winner Ian Harrington (4-4) left after yielding seven hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six.
Frash and Sanchez, UH's leading hitters, bounced back from sub-par series at the plate against Arizona last week.
Frash credited his two doubles and two singles to spending time with assistant coach Keith Komeiji.
"He's a great help," Frash said. "I can talk about hitting with him all day."
The teams meet in a doubleheader today starting at 1:05 p.m., with Mark Rodrigues (5-1, 2.58) and Josh Schneider (2-1, 1.85) scheduled to start against UWM's Tom Hoy (0-0, 5.79) and Mike Rauwerdirk (0-3, 6.75). The second game is set for seven innings.
Hawaii 9, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2
UWM |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Berkovitz ss |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
DuPree lf |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Wozniak ph |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Hee 2b |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0
|
Sarcia pr |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Frash 3b |
5 |
2 |
4 |
1
|
Hart 2b |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
Haislet cf |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0
|
Patzman ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Sanchez 1b |
5 |
3 |
4 |
2
|
Hetebrueg 1b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Christensen ss |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Groves ph1b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Catricala dh |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2
|
Brockel rf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Hernandez c |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Wichser lf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Franco rf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1
|
Vesling dh |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
McCoy cf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Buchholz c |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Silver 3b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
Totals |
34 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
Totals |
38 |
9 |
14 |
6
|
UWM |
|
|
|
100 |
001 |
000 |
-- |
2 |
8 |
3
|
Hawaii |
|
|
|
000 |
130 |
41x |
-- |
9 |
14 |
3
|
E--Berkovitz; Brockel; Buchholz; Sanchez; Christensen; Kramer. DP-- Hawaii 1. LOB--UWM 10, Hawaii 11. SH--Christensen; Catricala. SB--Hee. SF--Vesling. CS--Vesling; Silver.
UWM |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Michalkiewicz (L, 0-3) |
6 |
11 |
8 |
5 |
1 |
3
|
Ferrell |
1 1/3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2
|
McClarey |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Hoch |
2/3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Harrington (W, 4-4) |
5 1/3 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
6
|
Daly |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0
|
Kramer |
2 2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
HBP--by Harrington (Brockel); by Ferrell (Haislet).
Umpires--Mike Evans (plate); Ryan Arasato(first); Dan Farnsworth (third).
T--2:51. A--1,074.