’Bows snap 5-game skid
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.com
The Hawaii Rainbows ended a five-game losing streak last night by defeating the Fresno Bulldogs 6-2 in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series before 1,184 fans at Murakami Stadium
The Rainbows made good use of five doubles among their seven hits and played errorless defense to back the steady pitching of Chris George.
Hawaii improved to 15-27 overall and 4-12 in league play. The Bulldogs (23-22, 11-8) dropped their ninth consecutive road game.
The Rainbows had to survive a scare in the ninth inning when FSU loaded the bases after two were out against Bryan Lee on two walks and an infield single. Lee then walked in a run before getting the final out.
"Tonight we took advantage of situations where we had men on base," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
The 'Bows, who have averaged almost 10 men left on base a game, cut that down to six last night.
After three scoreless innings, the Bulldogs put the first run of the game on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning.
FSU starter Ben Fritz, who doubles as the designated hitter, helped his own cause by starting the inning with a line double to left. He moved to third on a wild pitch and strolled home on a single to left-center field by Brian Pierce.
The Rainbows bounced right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Brent Cook, forced into the designated hitter's role due to a pulled groin muscle, doubled to left to begin the inning, the Rainbows' first hit of the game. He took third when FSU shortstop Chris Patrick bobbled Gregg Omori's grounder for an error.
Scooter Martines followed with a first-pitch fly to right that scored Cook, with Omori holding at first. Tim Montgomery fanned for the second out. However, Kevin Gilbride liked Fritz's first pitch, a fastball, and lined it off the wall in right-center field for a double, allowing Omori to score the second run of the inning.
Hawaii increased the lead to 5-1 in the fifth, an inning that started on Julian Russell's one-out double that landed on the right-field line. Brian Bock walked on a full count and Cook drew a two-out walk to load the bases.
Omori, who fouled off a Fritz pitch with a 2-2 count, lined the next offering into the left-field corner to clear the bases.
"Gregg hit a breaking pitch. He just stayed on it," said Trapasso.
When Martines followed with UH's fifth safety, a single to center, it was the first by a 'Bow not to go for extra bases.
When Fritz walked two in the sixth inning, he was replaced by Sean Ruthven, who worked out of trouble by fanning Bock and getting Lane Nogawa on a routine fly to right.
Fritz wasn't as sharp as he was a week ago, when he pitched a three-hit shutout against Nevada. He walked five and struck out five, but went deep into several counts in his last two innings of work.
Right-hander Chris George pitched eight innings for the 'Bows. The Bulldogs put the leadoff batter on base in six of those innings but managed to advance a man to third just twice, other than the run-scoring inning.
Trapasso visited the mound in the seventh and eighth innings.
In the eighth, Fritz beat out an infield single to short to start the inning and George hit Brian Pierce. After his first two pitches to Tobey Riday-White were balls, Trapasso was quick out of the dugout.
"I told Chris that this was his game, that if he got extended and got out in front with a pitch, he would get a double-play ball and that would be the game," Trapasso said.
George then got Riday-White to hit into a double play on a 2-1 pitch and retired Christian Hallaian on a fly to right on a 3-1 pitch.
Hawaii picked up another run in the eighth when Montgomery singled to center and scored on a double by Danny Mocny to the right-center field alley.
"It was a great game for Danny. He made the plays in the field, put down two good bunts and hit the double," said Trapasso.
WAC standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
GB |
W |
L |
Pct. |
| Rice |
19 |
1 |
.950 |
-- |
38 |
8 |
.826 |
| San Jose St. |
12 |
7 |
.632 |
6 1/2 |
33 |
13 |
.717 |
| Fresno St. |
11 |
8 |
.579 |
7 1/2 |
23 |
22 |
.511 |
| Nevada |
5 |
11 |
.313 |
12 |
18 |
22 |
.450 |
| Hawaii |
4 |
12 |
.250 |
13 |
15 |
27 |
.357 |
| LaTech |
4 |
16 |
.200 |
15 |
17 |
27 |
.386 |
Yesterday
Nevada 8, San Jose State 8
Hawaii 6, Fresno State 2
Rice 9, Louisiana Tech 2
Hawaii 6, Fresno State 2
| Fresno St. |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
| Patrick, ss |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Nogawa, 2b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Beshears, 2b |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Cook, dh |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| McGehee, 3b |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Omori, 1b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Fritz, p/dh |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
Martines, lf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Pierce, 1b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Montgomery, cf/rf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Riday-White, rf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Gilbride, rf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Suga, lf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Mocny, 3b |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Esparza, ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Russell, ss |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Hallaian, lf |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Bock, c |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Harper, c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Myers, cf |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Boyd, ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Lipsey, ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Totals |
33 |
2 |
10 |
2 |
Totals |
29 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
| Fresno State |
000 |
100 |
001 |
-- |
2 |
10 |
1 |
| Hawaii |
000 |
230 |
01x |
-- |
6 |
7 |
0 |
E -- Patrick. DP -- UH 2. LOB -- FS 12; UH 6. 2b -- Beshears; Fritz; Cook; Omori; Gilbride; Mocny; Russell. HBP -- Pierce. SH -- Mocny. SF -- Martines. CS -- McGehee; Myers.
| Fresno State |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Fritz (L, 7-4) |
5.1 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
| Ruthven |
2.2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
| Hawai |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| George (W, 5-3) |
8.0 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
8 |
| Lee |
1.0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
WP -- George. HBP -- by George (Pierce). Umpires -- Jim LeBeau (plate), John De Luca (first), Kenny Bayne (third).
T -- 2:20. A -- 2,706.
