Monday, May 14, 2001
’Bows score sweep HILO >> A run scratched out of opportunity and a long ball saved the University of Hawaii yesterday at Francis Wong Stadium.
Montgomery saves Hawaii
From staff and wire reports
in the 10th; team comes home
with a shot at a winning recordNeeding to win their final six games against UH-Hilo to enjoy a winning season, the Rainbows came within one out of seeing that chance disappear.
Robert Shimabuku, a sophomore right-hander from Kalani High School, limited UH to seven hits, struck out nine and took a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning. At one point in the middle innings he retired 10 consecutive Rainbows, with just two balls being hit out of the infield.
But the Vulcans, who have had difficulty putting opponents away all season, failed to do so again in their final Western Athletic Conference home game. Hilo (5-42, 3-30 Western Athletic Conference) will operate as an NCAA Division I independent next season after two years as a provisional member of the WAC in baseball.
Gregg Omori, who had been hitless entering the ninth, got the 'Bows going with a one-out double down the left-field line. Pat Scalabrini then hit a bouncer to third, but Johnny Dudoit dropped the ball for an error. Shimabuku got a 1-2 count on Danny Kimura, then hit the UH first baseman with a pitch to load the bases.
Pinch hitter Aaron Pribble became Shimabuku's ninth strikeout victim for the second out, but Lane Nogawa walked on a 3-1 count to force Omori home with the tying run.
Bryan Lee, in relief of Sean Yamashita, set the Vulcans down in order in the bottom of the 10th to set the stage for a dramatic home run by Tim Montgomery.
The Rainbows' freshman right fielder, who set the school's single-season record for strikeouts a couple of weeks ago, smashed a one-ball offering from Hilo reliever Shaun Suzuki over the left-field fence to lead off the 10th inning.
Hawaii (26-27, 13-20 WAC) would add another run on Kimura's RBI groundout
The Vulcans went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
The Vulcans took advantage of Yamashita's slow start and two UH errors to score three runs in the first inning. Mike Hobbs doubled and scored on Nogawa's error on Kaliko Oligo's grounder. Brian Rooke walked and both runners moved up a base on Keola Park's ground out, then scored on Billy Rayl's single to center.
Yamashita settled down after the first inning and received defensive help from Montgomery, who threw Rayl out at home when he tried to score from second on Justin Kaneshiro's single to right in the fourth.
The series resumes at Rainbow Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The game times are at 6:35 p.m. the first two nights and 6 p.m. Saturday, when retiring Hawaii head coach Les Murakami will be honored.
WAC standings
WAC OVERALL W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Rice 23 10 .697 -- 40 17 .702 TCU 21 12 .636 2 32 25 .542 FSU 20 13 .606 3 37 22 .627 SJSU 20 13 .606 3 35 20 .636 Nevada 17 19 .472 712 29 26 .527 Hawaii 13 20 .394 10 26 27 .491 UH-Hilo 3 30 .091 19 5 42 .106 Yesterday's results
San Jose State 7, Nevada 1
Rice 8, Fresno State 5
Hawaii 5, Hawaii-Hilo 3
Texas Arlington 10, Texas Christian 7Hawaii 5, UH-Hilo 3
Hawaii AB R H BI UH-Hilo AB R H BI Jackson cf 5 0 1 0 Hobbs lf 4 1 2 0 Purtell ss 5 1 1 0 Petersen rf 0 0 0 0 Omori dh 3 1 1 0 Oligo rf 4 1 1 1 Scalabrini 3b 4 1 2 0 Rooke cf 3 1 0 0 Kimura 1b 4 1 1 3 Park dh 4 0 0 0 Boudon lf 2 0 0 0 Dudoit 3b 4 0 0 0 Guillen phlf 1 0 0 0 Rayl ss 4 0 2 2 Pribble ph 1 0 0 0 Jinbo c 3 0 1 0 Gilbride lf 1 0 0 0 Rhodes 1b 4 0 0 0 Nogawa 2b 3 0 2 1 Kaneshiro 2b 3 0 1 0 Flick c 2 0 0 0 Sooto ph 1 0 0 0 Bock c 1 0 0 0 Montgomery rf 4 1 1 1 Totals 36 5 9 5 Totals 34 3 7 3
Hawaii 020 000 001 2 -- 5 9 2 UH-Hilo 300 000 000 0 -- 3 7 1 E--Boudon, Nogawa, Dudoit. DP--UH-Hilo 1. LOB--Hawaii 7, UH-Hilo 3. 2B--Omori, Nogawa, Hobbs. HR--Kimura, Montgomery. CS--Jackson, Nogawa, Jinbo. SB--Purtell. SH--Bock, Jinbo.
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Yamashita 8 7 3 1 1 7 Lee (W, 5-2) 2 0 0 0 0 0 UH-Hilo IP H R ER BB SO Shimabuku 9 7 3 2 2 10 Suzuki (L, 1-1) 13 2 2 2 2 0 Reyes 23 0 0 0 0 0 WP--Lee. HBP--by Shimabuku (Kimura). Umpires--Lebeau (plate), Ogawa (first), Tomasweski (third).
T--2:40. A--287.
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