New Mexico State sweeps Hawaii

The series loss is a serious blow to the 'Bows' WAC hopes

LAS CRUCES, N.M. » The Hawaii baseball team opened with a bang, but went out with a whimper on its first visit to New Mexico State's Presley Askew Field.

After taking a 5-3 lead in the second inning of the first game of yesterday's doubleheader, the Rainbows managed just two runs over the next 14 innings in the Aggies' hitter-friendly facility

The Aggies swept the Western Athletic Conference twinbill 8-6 and 9-4 to win their second league series of the season and climb out of last place in the standings.

The Rainbows (28-19, 9-9) lost a chance to keep first or second place in sight and are stuck in fourth place, two games behind third-place Nevada.

"We were playing in a park where you know you are going to have a shootout," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "You need to shoot and we didn't shoot. It was pretty amazing.

"We wouldn't have hit in any park today and we didn't pitch well and that is not a good combination. What are we, 9-9? That's pretty average."

The Aggies made use of the strong wind blowing out to left in the first game by hitting four home runs to the Rainbows' three. It was New Mexico State's last two that made the difference.

With the score tied at 6-6, Joe Scaperotta and Adam Harvey hit consecutive home runs to left field off UH right-hander Jayson Kramer to start the eighth inning.

Those two pitches were the only mistakes Kramer made in three innings of relief. He struck out six, walked no one and allowed just one other hit.

He was the victim of a two-out throwing error by shortstop Eli Christensen in the seventh that allowed Marcos Rosales to reach first. Rosales advanced to third on Ricky Phillipi's single and scored on a passed ball to tie the score.

Kevin Macdonald's two-run homer had put UH up 2-0 in the top of the first, but the Aggies went ahead in the bottom of the inning on Harvey's three-run blast.

Landon Hernandez tied the score with a leadoff homer that started a three-run Hawaii second. Kris Sanchez accounted for UH's final run with a solo shot in the fourth.

The Rainbows didn't score again until pinch hitter Vinnie Catricala singled in the seventh inning of the second game, took third on Justin Frash's single and scored on an error.

By then the Aggies had built a 5-0 lead and they answered in the bottom of the seventh with four more runs with Rosales three-run double to center the key hit.

Aggie left-hander Anthony Arrieta held the 'Bows to four hits through the first seven innings of the second game.

UH loaded the bases in the eighth with one out on singles by Jon Hee and Catricala, a fielder's choice and a walk. Sanchez cleared the bases with a double down the right-field line, but Arrieta fanned Macdonald and retired Hernandez on a ground ball.

Ian Harrington started the second game for the Rainbows. He gave up single runs in the second and third, and two more in the fourth that began with Ryan Gibson's home run. Tyler Davis took over and was charged with an unearned run in the fifth when his teammates made two errors in the infield. He was charged with all four runs in the eighth.

The Rainbows have a nonconference series at Hawaii-Hilo this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then resume WAC play at Nevada on May 12.