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Saturday, March 4, 2000
Fresno State hands
Star-Bulletin staff
UH-Hilo another tough
road setbackFRESNO, Calif. - Hawaii-Hilo lost another close game to 23rd-ranked Fresno State last night but there was more hurt on the short end of this one.
The Vulcans, who fell behind early in Thursday's Western Athletic Conference series opener and bowed, 5-3, led twice last night before a four-run Fresno State rally in the eighth inning did them in, 6-4.
Leading, 4-2, UHH starter Kaholo Rickard hit a batter and was tagged for a tying two-run homer by Anthony Acevedo. Brandon Gemoll's double chased Rickard, reliever Ben Siff also hit a batter and Monte Prieto capped the rally with a two-out, two-run double.
"It was a tough one to lose," UHH coach Joey Estrella said. "We played about the best game we could hope for. We outhit them (12-8) but they just came back and beat us.
"I feel bad for Kaholo. It was his first loss of the season but he pitched well enough to win it."
Kaholo (4-1) retired 16 of the first 18 batters he faced. He led, 2-0, before giving up a two-run double by Gemoll in the sixth.
The Vulcans countered with two runs in the seventh to go up by two again. But it wasn't enough against the Bulldogs (13-4 overall, 4-1 WAC), who have seven come-from-behind victories.
"It was disappointing," said Estrella, whose Vulcans are 10-14 overall and 1-4 in the WAC after four straight road setbacks. "But I told our guys that there are gonna be games where you do everything well enough to win, but for some reason you don't win. I told them you can't dwell on what could have been."
Shortstop Brandon Chaves had a home run and two singles for the Vulcans, who hoped to bounce back today behind left-hander Thomas Ford (3-1) against the Bulldogs' Shawn Hannah (2-2).
Bulldogs 6, Vulcans 4
HAWAII-HILO AB R H BI FRESNO STATE AB R H B1 Rooke cf 5 0 0 0 Creighton 2b 3 1 0 0 Chaves ss 5 2 3 2 Labandeira ss 3 2 1 0 Ryan 2b 5 0 2 1 Acevedo lf 4 1 2 2 Lynch dh 5 1 2 0 Gemoll 1b 4 1 2 2 Petersen rf 3 0 2 0 Garcia 3b 4 0 0 0 McCracken c 4 0 1 0 Bowlin rf 3 1 2 0 Rayl 1b 4 0 1 1 Prieto dh 4 0 1 2 Hobbs 3b 4 0 1 0 Beshears dh 0 0 0 0 Miura lf 3 1 0 0 Harper c 4 0 0 0 Guzman cf 3 0 0 0 Totals 38 4 12 3 Totals 32 6 8 6
Hawaii-Hilo 100 100 200- 4 12 0 Fresno State 000 002 04x- 6 8 1 E-Harper (2).
LOB-UHH 9, FSU 5.
2B-Petersen (7), Rayl (1), Acevedo (8), Gemoll 2 (3), Prieto (2) HR-Chaves (2), Acevedo (4). SB-Chaves (14), Hobbs (3), Miura (4). Sac-Petersen.
Hawaii-Hilo
IP H R ER BB SO Rickard (L, 4-1) 7-1/3 7 5 5 0 4 Siff 2/3 1 1 1 0 0
Fresno State
IP H R ER BB SO Hintz 6-2/3 8 4 4 1 6 Fritz 0 2 0 0 0 0 Smith (W, 4-0) 2-1/3 2 0 0 0 3 WP-Rickard. HBP-Creighton (by Rickard), Labandeira (by Rickard), Bowlin (by Siff).
Umpires-McCardell (plate), Van Rapphorst (first), Franceshiello (third). T-2:26. A-3,225.
U.H. Hilo
