Pitcher’s effort wasted
STORY SUMMARY »
Hawaii played the role of spoilers for a full nine innings against No. 1 Arizona State, but never got the clutch hit it needed.
Jared Alexander and Nicholas Rhodes combined to hold the vaunted Sun Devils offense to three runs, but the Rainbows became Arizona State's fourth shutout victim in five games in a 3-0 loss yesterday in the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz.
Landon Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a double for the Rainbows, who brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Alexander gave up his first earned run of the season, but held in check a Sun Devils offense that had scored at least 11 runs in three of ASU's first four games.
Down 3-0 in the ninth, second baseman Jon Hee came to bat with the bases loaded, but grounded out to end the game.
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From staff and wire reports
SURPRISE, Ariz. » Hawaii became the first team to make No. 1 Arizona State look beatable this season, but the Sun Devils still had too much firepower for the Rainbows to overcome.
Five pitchers combined to shut out Hawaii on five hits, but the top-ranked Sun Devils were held to their lowest scoring output of the season in a 3-0 victory yesterday in the Coca-Cola Classic at Billy Parker Field.
Arizona State (5-0) had scored at least seven runs in every game prior to last night. Three of its first four wins were by at least 11 runs and came against Oregon State, Vanderbilt and Michigan, who have all been ranked in the top 10 of multiple national polls.
Hawaii is the only team that has been able to hang with the Sun Devils for an entire game and even went as far as putting the tying run on base in the ninth.
Despite the solid showing, Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso says a loss is still a loss. Whether the Rainbows are any better from it will be determined today.
"What I believe in is you can grow from a loss and you can get better from a loss only if you go out the next day and show you learned from it," Trapasso said. "You really don't know if you've done that until you get back out there and play again."
The Rainbows (5-4) kept it close behind another outstanding performance from Jared Alexander. The junior right-hander stretched his streak of innings without an earned run to 21 before giving up one in the bottom of the seventh. Raoul Torrez tripled home Matt Newman with one out and wound up being the last batter Alexander faced.
The only other run Alexander gave up was unearned, as the Sun Devils plated a runner in the bottom of the second on a two-out error by Greg Garcia that allowed Ike Davis to score. In 6 1/3 innings, Alexander (2-1) allowed eight hits while striking out five and walking none.
"He was about as good as he could be tonight," Trapasso said. "That's the best lineup in college baseball. (Alexander) didn't try to do too much. He showed a lot of maturity."
The Rainbows managed only five hits, but had their chances to score runs late. Hawaii left seven runners on base, including six in scoring position, over the final four innings.
Landon Hernandez was the only Rainbow with two hits, but twice was stranded on third base. Hawaii loaded the bases in the top of the ninth on two walks and a pinch single by Sean Montplaisir, but Jon Hee grounded out to short to end the game.
"We had chances all throughout the game and we couldn't capitalize on them," Trapasso said. 'When you're playing the No. 1 team in the country, you have to capitalize."
Nicholas Rhodes came on for Alexander with one out and a runner on third in the seventh. After walking Brett Wallace, Rhodes struck out Kiel Roling and got Greg Bordes to pop out to end the inning.
Arizona State added its third run in the eighth as Marcel Champagnie's second triple in as many innings scored Peter Paramore.
Hawaii concludes the tournament today with a doubleheader. The Rainbows open with Michigan, ranked eighth in this week's Baseball America poll, at 9 a.m. before taking on Portland at 1 p.m. Alex Capaul (0-2) will get the start against the Wolverines, while Josh Slaats (0-0) takes the mound for UH in the second game.
Arizona State 3, Hawaii 0
| Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
ASU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
| Hee 2b |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Wallace 3b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
| DuPree lf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Roling dh |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Haislet cf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Leake lf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Catricala 3b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Kipnis rf |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0
|
| Van Doornum dh |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Bordes ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Macdonald 1b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Workman cf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Hernandez c |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Davis 1b |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
| Roquemore rf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Paramore c |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
| Garcia ss |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Jarvis lf/p |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Zimny ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Champagnie ss |
4 |
0 |
3 |
1
|
| Young pr/ss |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Jones cf |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Montplaisir ph |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Newman ph/rf |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Torrez 2b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Hawaii |
000 |
000 |
000 |
-- |
0 |
5 |
2
|
| ASU |
010 |
000 |
11x |
-- |
3 |
11 |
0 |
E-- Roquemore; Garcia. LOB--Hawaii 10, ASU 8. 2B--Hernandez; Davis; Paramore. 3B--Champagnie 2; Torrez. SH--Roquemore. SB--Kipnis. CS--Roquemore; Jarvis.
| Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
| Alexander (L, 2-1) |
6 1/3 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5
|
| Rhodes |
1 2/3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| ASU |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
| Franzblau |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1
|
| Sauer (W,1-0) |
2 1/3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
| Dorado |
2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
| Rafferty |
2 2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
| Jarvis (S, 1) |
1/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
HBP--by Franzblau (Van Doornum); by Dorado (Macdonald).
Umpires-- Phil Benson(plate); Heath Jones(first); Tony Norris (third).
T--2:58. A--495.
