RENO, Nev. >> Yesterday's Western Athletic Conference baseball game had the makings of a blowout when the Nevada Wolf Pack took a 7-0 lead after three innings. Nevada keeps UH
winless at Peccole ParkFrom staff and wire reports
But Hawaii senior right-hander Sean Yamashita came in from the bullpen to settle the game down with four shutout innings.
Unfortunately, the Rainbow batters had no success in unsettling Nevada's Darrell Rasner, who struck out 11 and made just one noticeable mistake, delivering a home-run ball to Chad Boudon leading off the seventh.
Eventually Yamashita ran out of gas and the Wolf Pack (25-29, 10-17 WAC) turned the series finale into a 14-1 rout with seven runs in the eighth, an inning that featured four Nevada home runs.
The four round-trippers in one inning tied the UH opponents' record set by host UCLA in 1974.
"I'm just glad it's over," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso. "We just did not pitch well this weekend, with the exception of Ricky (Bauer) and Sean, who was really good today. I felt bad sending him out at the end because he was getting tired."
Bryan Lee, making his first start since March 15, lasted 73 pitches and 2 1/3 innings.
Mike Hass singled in two runs in the first, Chris Dickerson hit the first of five Wolf Pack home runs in the second, Craig Markel doubled home the first run in the third and Matt Maguire and Mike Gillies followed with RBI singles.
Even though Yamashita held the Wolf Pack in check, all the Rainbows could manage against Rasner were two-out doubles by Lane Nogawa in the third and Danny Mocny in the fifth.
"We weren't going to get to Mr. Rasner the way he was throwing today," said Trapasso. "It was miserable (temperature was 48 degrees when the game began) and we didn't want to be there, but it sure didn't bother Mr. Rasner."
After getting 17 hits and 10 runs in the opener Saturday, the Rainbows (16-37, 5-22) were held to a total of 11 hits and three runs in the final two games.
The Wolf Pack pounded out 46 hits, good for 39 runs in the three games.
Hawaii is now 0-6 in two visits to Peccole Park.
Notes: The Rainbows travel to Fresno tomorrow and open a three-game, season-ending series with the Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday. ... Retiring FSU head coach Bob Bennett needs one victory in the three games for his 1,300th career win. ... Rainbows pitchers have hit 56 batters this season, four short of the record set a year ago. After four weeks in the No. 2 spot, conference leader Rice made it to No. 1 in Baseball America's Top 25 yesterday. San Jose State moved up from No. 23 to No. 22. Clemson dropped all the way from No. 1 to No. 6.
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