Saturday, May 22, 1999
’Bows eliminated,
By Al Chase
NCAA chances dim
Star-BulletinFRESNO, Calif. - The Hawaii Rainbows rallied once, stumbled through a horrendous top of the third inning, rallied again, but did not have enough firepower to hold the lead.
Texas Christian blasted three home runs, the last one a two-run, opposite field shot over the left-field wall by Mark Hamilton to regain the lead in the seventh inning enroute to a 12-10 victory.
The loss eliminated Hawaii (37-20) from the Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament and definitely dimmed the Rainbows' chances of receiving an at-large bid Monday to the NCAA regionals.
The best hope for the Rainbows is to have Rice win the WAC tournament and have a minimum of upsets in numerous other conference tournaments being held this weekend.
If Rice wins and the WAC gets two spots in the 64-team field, Hawaii has the second-best overall record in the conference.
"Everyone thinks the WAC will get two teams, but I've quit trying to figure out the (NCAA baseball selection) committee," said UH head coach Les Murakami.
Left-hander Jamie Aloy, who hadn't pitched since the San Diego State series, started for UH, but had difficulty getting ahead in the count. He didn't throw a first-pitch strike until the seventh batter in the first inning.
Mark Silva opened the game with a home run on a 2-1 pitch. Royce Huffman hit a one-ball pitch 420-feet to left-center to start the third inning and tie the score at 3-3.
That was the only earned run of the seven the Horned Frogs (31-25) scored in the inning. The Rainbows made two costly errors in the inning. On a swinging strike three, UH catcher Lars Hansen dropped the ball, then threw wide to first.
Aloy hit the next batter, David Wallace. After Eric Macha sacrificed the runners up a base, Shaun Wooley hit a fielder's choice grounder that scored one run, but Corey Miller dropped the ball on the tag allowing Wallace to escape a rundown between second and third.
A walk, Marshall Wilson's double, Silva's single and Hamilton's sacrifice fly ended Aloy's day. TCU got the seventh run of the inning on Cade Harris' single off reliever Ian Jones.
Matt Wheeler came on and blanked the Horned Frogs for the next three innings while his teammates nibbled at the deficit.
Hansen singled in a run in the fourth. UH then loaded the bases with one out, but TCU starter Shawn Thompson fanned Michael Dartt on three consecutive breaking pitches and got Tracy Nakano to ground out to first.
Scooter Martines tripled and scored on Miller's one-out double in the fifth, but Miller was stranded at second.
Miller's two-run double and RBI singles by Kenn Wakakuwa and Lane Nogawa highlighted a five-run sixth that put the Rainbows ahead, 10-9.
In the seventh, Wilson reached with a one-out single when Nogawa lost his high chopper in the sun at third base. Hamilton picked on Wheeler's first pitch, a high fastball, and drove it out of Pete Beiden Field.
"I don't think we knew where (plate umpire) Dan Pederson's strike zone was. It seemed high the first two innings, then he brought it down afterward. It was the same for both teams, but I think that's what screwed Jamie up for a while," Murakami said.
"On a positive note, Matt Wheeler pitched fantastic. Once we took the lead it was hard to take him out because he was doing so good. It was only the seventh and we wanted to get to the eighth before bringing in (closer) Wakon Childers.
"And, if I had brought someone else in (after getting the lead) and he didn't do the job, you would be asking me why I didn't leave Wheeler in.
"For me, when we had that one-run (10-9) lead, my mistake was not pinch hitting for (Darin) Baker when we had the lead (and one out, runners on second and third), but who? But, that's water down the drain now.
"The kids played with everything they had. I can't say they played junk with the way they came back."
The Rainbows find out Monday if their season continues when the NCAA tournament field is announced on ESPN starting at 9 a.m.
In yesterday's first game, Rice beat San Jose State, 4-2, and plays TCU, a 10-6 winner over SJSU last night, in today's championship game.
'BOW BUNTS
The team returns on Delta flight 219 at 9:29 p.m. tomorrow ... Sophomore right-hander Patrick McNair, who pitched just five innings this season, has been given his release. He will transfer to a school closer to his Virginia home ... Freshman left-hander Joel Lozano, who did not see action this season, will transfer to a junior college ... Right-hander Ikaika Baptista and left-hander Michael Sakaino will graduate before the 2000 season and forego their final year of eligibility ... Shortstop Corey Miller has been told by an Oakland scout the A's want to draft him as a pitcher in the late rounds. Miller says he'll sign if drafted.
TCU 12, HAWAII 10
TCU AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Silva c 5 2 2 2 Takamori rf 5 2 2 1 Ma. Hamilton rf 4 1 1 3 Dartt 2b 6 2 3 0 Huffman 3b 5 2 2 1 Nakano lf 5 1 1 0 Harris dh 6 1 1 1 Martines dh 4 2 2 1 Wallace 1b 2 2 1 0 Wakakuwa 1b-c 5 1 1 2 Macha 2b 4 0 2 1 Miller ss 5 2 3 4 Wooley lf 5 1 1 2 Nogawa 3b 5 0 1 1 McLamore ss 4 1 0 0 Hansen c-1b 4 0 2 0 Wilson cf 5 2 2 2 Baker cf 3 0 0 0 Taguchi ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 40 12 12 12 43 10 15 9 TCU 207 000 210--12 12 3 Hawaii 300 115 000--10 15 5E--Silva (8), Wooley (1), McLamore (12), Dartt (7), Miller 2 (18), Nogawa (11), Hansen (3). DP--TCU 1 (McLamore-Macha-Wallace). LOB--TCU 10, Hawaii 11.2B--Wallace (19), Macha (6), Wooley (8), Wilson (4), Miller 3 (8). 3B--Martines 2. HR--Silva (7),. Ma. Hamilton (7), Huffman (15).SB--Takamori (34), Dartt (13).CS--Wilson. S--Ma. Hamilton (5), Macha (7).SF--Ma. Hamilton (4).
TCU IP H R ER BB SO Thompson 5-1/3 10 10 9 4 6 Frazier W, 3-2 3-2/3 5 0 0 0 3 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Aloy 2-1/3 6 9 3 2 3 Jones 2/3 1 0 0 1 0 Wheeler L, 1-1 4-1/3 4 3 3 1 1 Childers 1-2/3 1 0 0 0 2WP--Thompson 2 (3), Frazier (7), Aloy 2 (5). HBP--Wallace (by Aloy), Takamori (by Thompson), Silva (by Childers).Umpires: Pederson (Plate), Christal (First), Burleson (Second), Bible (Third). A--372. T--3:14.
