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Saturday, May 13, 2000
Rainbows slip
past Vulcans, 3-2
Wakakuwa scores the winning
By Al Chase
run on a double by Pribble
Star-BulletinTwo extremely close calls in the Rainbows favor, a sprained ankle and one timely double meant victory last night for the University of Hawaii at Rainbow Stadium
The Rainbows had to overcome two botched sacrifice bunt tries to edge the University of Hawaii at Hilo, 3-2, in the Western Athletic Conference baseball encounter.
The game was a scoreless duel - a non-hitters game might be a better description - for six innings between Vulcan right-hander Kaholo Rickard and Rainbow left-hander Jamie Aloy.
Rickard allowed Kramer Aoki's third-inning, leadoff single and Kenn Wakakuwa's infield single in the sixth
Sean Takamori tried to sacrifice Aoki to second, but bunted right back to Rickard who had time to get the force play at second.
Darin Baker was hit by a pitch to start the fifth, but Patrick Scalabrini popped his sacrifice bunt attempt up to the catcher.
Aloy gave up a two-out single to Billy Rayl in the second and Ryan Petersen's bunt single in the third.
Petersen was picked off first, but beat the throw to second. One out later, he was out on a very close play trying to steal third.
The Vulcans did load the bases on consecutive, four-pitch walks to Mike Hobbs and Todd Jinbo in the second, but Aloy got Shaye Miura on a soft liner to second to escape the jam.
UH scratched out a run without benefit of a hit in the seventh.
Baker walked, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.
With Scalabrini at the plate and the count 2-2, UH head coach Les Murakami called an offensive time out to instruct Scalabrini.
"I told him don't swing hard," Murakami said.
With the Vulcans infield playing in, Scalabrini sent a grounder past the mound that shortstop Brandon Chaves fielded just inside the dirt area in front of second base. He looked at Baker and and fired to first for the out.
The moment Chaves threw, Baker broke for home and beat the throw from Rayl at first base.
"It's his option on whether to go," Murakami said. "But Darin was down the line with their third baseman was playing in.
Aloy, who struggled with his location the first four innings, retired 10 consecutive Vulcans until he hit what has become his wall - the eighth inning.
Pinch hitter Patrick Lynch started the inning with a double to left-center field. After Miura lined to center, Petersen beat out an infield single to deep short.
Brain Rooke then lined Aloy's first pitch to left. Baker, sprinting toward the foul line, attempted a diving, shoestring catch. He missed and the ball rolled to the wall for a two-run triple.
"I can't blame Darin. He tried hard. It's just one of those things,' Murakami said.
Sean Yamashita replaced Aloy, walked Jacob Ryan, then got Paul Yap to hit into an inning-ending, around-the-horn double play.
However, Rickard did not come out in the bottom of the eighth to protect the 2-1 UHH lead.
"Kaholo sprained his left ankle in the seventh," said UHH head coach Joey Estrella.
"I feel bad for him. This was his game to win and what a way to go out in front of a statewide television audience."
Takamori singled to left to start the Rainbows rally in the bottom of the eighth. And finally, a sacrifice bunt, this time by Matt Purtell who had two strikes, worked.
Aloy then hit a drive that was curving toward the left-field corner, but Miura made a tremendous, over-the-shoulder catch as Takamori retreated to second.
Then, Vulcan reliever Ben Siff wild pitched Takamori to third. Wakakuwa followed with a high, high chopper over the mound. Ryan, the UHH second baseman, charged, bare-handed the ball and whipped a throw to first.
First base umpire Jim LeBeau ruled Wakakuwa safe, much to the Vulcans' disbelief, as Takamori came home to tie the score.
"As soon as I hit it, I knew I had a chance, but I was slow getting out of the box. I almost fell down at the plate," said Wakakuwa.
Aaron Pribble lined Siff's first pitch into the right-field corner for a double that sent a huffing and puffing Wakakuwa home with the winning run.
"I was going, no matter what. My tank was running out of gas as I rounded third," Wakakuwa said.
"I pretty much had the green light. I was looking for something to drive," Pribble said.
RAINBOWS 3, VULCANS 2
HAWAII-HILO AB R H BI HAWAII AB R H BI Petersen rf 4 1 2 0 Takamori rf 4 1 1 0 Rooke cf 4 0 1 2 Honma rf 0 0 0 0 Ryan 2b 3 0 0 0 Purtell 2b 3 0 0 0 Yap dh 4 0 0 0 Aloy p-dh 4 0 0 0 Chaves ss 4 0 0 0 Wakakw ss-1b 3 1 2 1 Rayl 1b 2 0 1 0 Pribble 1b 4 0 1 1 Park ph 1 0 0 0 Chan pr 0 0 0 0 Yee ph 0 0 0 0 Jackson cf 3 0 0 0 Sanchez pr 0 0 0 0 Baker lf 1 1 0 0 Jinbo c 1 0 0 0 Scalabrini 3b 3 0 0 1 Lynch ph 1 0 1 0 Aoki c 3 0 1 0 Robbins pr 0 1 0 0 McCracken c 1 0 1 0 Miura lf 4 0 0 0 Totals 31 2 6 2 Totals 28 3 5 3
Hawaii-Hilo 000 000 020 - 2 6 0 Hawaii 000 000 12x - 3 5 1 E-Aoki (2). DP-UH 1 (Scalabrini-Purtell-Pribble). LOB-UHH 7, UH 6.2B-Lynch (4), Pribble (1). 3B-Rooke (2). SB-Petersen (16), Baker (11). CS-Petersen (6). S-Purtell (4).
Hawaii-Hilo
IP H R ER BB SO Rickard 7 2 1 1 3 2 Siff (L, 3-5) 1 3 2 2 0 0
Hawaii
IP H R ER BB SO Aloy 7-1/3 5 2 2 2 3 Yamashita (W, 4-1) 1-2/3 1 0 0 2 0 WP-Rickard (6), Siff (3). HBP-Rayl (by Aloy), Baker (by Rickard).
Umpires-Montalbo (plate), LeBeau (first), Ogawa (third). T-2:28. A-1,182.
WAC STANDINGS
Conference Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. San Jose State 17 7 .708 34 16 .680 Fresno State 17 10 .630 38 16 .704 Rice 13 10 .565 32 20 .615 Hawaii 14 14 .500 27 27 .500 Texas Christian 11 15 .423 20 31 .392 Hawaii-Hilo 6 22 .214 16 33 .327 Yesterday's results
Hawaii 3, Hawaii-Hilo 2
Nebraska 3, Fresno State 2Today's games
Hawaii-Hilo at Hawaii, 6:35 p.m.
San Jose State at Rice (2)
Fresno State at NebraskaTomorrow's games
Hawaii-Hilo at Hawaii, 6:35 p.m.
San Jose State at Rice
Texas Christian vs. Southwest Texas State
Fresno State at Nebraska
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O HawaiiU.H. Hilo
