Monday, January 18, 1999
’Bows end losing streak
By Al Chase
to Alumni with 6-5 win
Star-BulletinHawaii baseball coach Les Murakami put four of his five potential starting pitchers and one possible closer on display last night at Rainbow Stadium.
It was enough to end the Alumni talk of a three-peat as the Rainbow varsity ended a two-year skid in the annual get-together, 6-5, with the winning run coming on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Senior Troy Yoshimasu and juniors Dusty Bergman, Randon Ho and Jamie Aloy, all left-handers, each pitched two innings, and right-hander Rich Snider, a junior college transfer from Seminole State (Okla.) overcame a pair of two-out singles in the ninth to earn the victory.
"The Alumni were better and had younger talent. With the AJA and Oahu leagues just getting done, some were in pretty good shape," Murakami said.
Shawn Rogers (1992-94) powered a Yoshimasu pitch 355 feet over the right-field wall for an early 3-1 Alumni lead.
UH came back against Joel Lono (80-81, 83-84) in his third inning of work on four singles and sacrifice flies by Wakon Childers and Darin Baker to lead 5-3. But a pair of unearned runs off Dusty Bergman in the fourth tied the score at 5.
Moku Paiva (90-93), Paul Ah Yat (94-96), Matt Apana (91-93), Marshall Miyoshi (96) and Chris Walz (89-90, 93) then held the 'Bows to a pair of singles over the next five innings.
At the same time, Ho retired six of seven batters he faced and Aloy all six he faced sending the game into the ninth still tied.
Sean Takamori drew a one-out walk off Andrew McNally (93-95, 97) in the bottom of the ninth and took second on Michael Dartt's fourth hit, a bunt single -- his third -- up the third base line. McNally's second pitch to Matt Wheeler, who had two hits and two RBIs, was wild, advancing the runners. His fourth pitch also found dirt and went to the backstop, allowing Takamori to score.
The UH junior varsity won the first game, 4-1.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Alumni second baseman Daren Masanda's (97) leaping backhand grab behind second base of Corey Miller's line drive bid for a hit in the second inning.
ALUM HONORED: Former Rainbow third baseman Curt Watanabe had his number (26) added to the Wall of Honor in left field between games.
He joins Derek Tatsuno (16), Randy Oyama (40), Gerald Ako (14) and Joey Estrella (10).
PROPOSAL ON THE DIAMOND: Just before the second game, UH junior right-hander Ikaika Baptista stood at third base, microphone in hand. A teammate escorted Baptista's girlfriend, Kristy Maunakea, out of the stands and down a path formed by two rows of 'Bows who doffed their caps and knelt. When Maunakea reached the hot corner, Baptista got down on one knee and proposed marriage. Maunakea said, "Yes."
Rainbows 6, Alumni 5
Alumni Hawaii ab r h bi ab r h bi Rasmussen ss 2 0 0 0 Takemori cf 4 2 1 0 Williams ss 2 1 1 0 Dartt 2b 4 2 4 0 Ahu ph 1 0 1 0 Wheeler 3b 3 1 2 2 Masanda 2b 2 0 1 0 Aloy 1b-p 3 1 1 0 Otani 2b 1 0 1 1 Childers rf 3 0 0 1 Honma cf 3 0 1 0 Nakano dh 2 0 1 0 Inabata cf 1 0 0 0 Aoki c 1 0 0 0 Hashimoto cf 1 0 0 0 Baker cf 3 0 0 1 Harrison rf-c 2 0 1 0 Hansen c-1b 4 0 1 0 Yuen rf 1 0 0 0 Miller ss 2 0 0 0 Trippett rf 1 0 0 0 Garnett c 1 1 1 0 Medeiros ph 2 0 0 0 Inaba ph 1 0 0 0 Oniate dh 2 1 1 0 Blakely dh 1 0 0 0 Kato dh 1 0 0 0 Rogers lf 1 1 1 3 Blanchette lf 2 0 1 0 Maltby ph 1 0 0 0 Garman 3b-2b 3 0 1 0 Ishigo 3b 2 1 0 0 Dashefsky 1b 1 0 0 0 Aganos 1b 1 0 0 0 Oyama 1b 1 0 0 0 Totals 37 5 11 4 Totals 29 6 10 4 Alumni 030 200 000--5 Hawaii 104 000 001--6One out when winning run scored.E--Childers, Miller.
LOB--Alumni 7, Hawaii 6. DP--Alumni 2 (Otani-Williams-Aganos. Otani-Williams-Oyama), UH 2 (Wheeler-Dart-Aloy, Miller-Aloy). HR--Rogers. SF--Childers, Baker.
Alumni
IP H R ER BB SO Lono 3 7 5 4 0 0 Paiva 1 0 0 0 1 1 Ah Yat 1 1 0 0 0 0 Apana 1 0 0 0 1 2 Miyoshi 1 1 0 0 0 0 Walz 1 0 0 0 0 2 McNally (L) 1/3 1 1 1 1 0Hawaii
Yoshimasu 2 5 3 3 0 1 Bergman 2 3 2 0 1 0 Ho 2 1 0 0 0 1 Aloy 2 0 0 0 0 3 Snider (W) 1 2 0 0 0 1WP--McNally 2. PB--Garnett 3. HBP--Aloy (by Lono), Miller (by Paiva), Nakano (by Ah Yat)), Aganos (by Bergman).A--1,100 (est.).
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