GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii shortstop Brian FInegan reached back to make a catch in short left-center field yesterday as the Rainbows beat the UCLA Bruins to win the weekend series.
’Bows beat Bruins Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso will tell you the Rainbows still have a lot of work to do despite winning the weekend series with UCLA.
8-3 to take series
Sophomore Ricky Bauer
allows just one run in six
innings to earn the winBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.com"I'll be saying that after game 48 (laughter). No, it's true. We have more work to do," said Trapasso.
The Rainbows took advantage of scoring opportunities yesterday to provide Ricky Bauer with the kind of support he has waited a year to enjoy. The sophomore right-hander gave up one earned run in six innings to be credited with the win in the 8-3 victory over the Bruins.
Bauer equaled his win total from a year ago, when he was 1-9. He did not strike out anyone yesterday and issued just one walk.
"I had a lot of support and that helps a lot. I messed up every now and then and got some pitches up, but I relied on my defense the entire game and they did the job," said Bauer.
Trapasso called Bauer's outing solid but felt he was definitely fatigued at the end of six innings and 81 pitches.
The Bruins pushed a run across in the first inning when Preston Griffin bounced Bauer's first pitch over the left-field wall for a ground-rule double, moved to third on Sean Carpenter's ground out and scored on Wes Whisler's sacrifice fly.
The Rainbows answered in the bottom of the inning on Isaac Omura's leadoff single up the middle, walks to Brent Cook and Nick Ponomarenko and Rocky Russo's two-run single to right.
Hawaii added another run in the second. Brian Finegan drew a one-out walk on a 3-2 count, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Andrew Sansaver's double to center on the first pitch he saw from UCLA starter Casey Janssen.
Russo walked on a full count with two out in the third to start a two-run rally. Brian Bock followed with an infield single on which Bruin shortstop Brett McMillan knocked down the ball in short center but could not get it to second in time for a force out on Russo.
Tim Montgomery walked on four pitches to load the bases. Finegan, after stepping in and out of the batter's box a couple of times, stroked a 1-1 pitch the opposite way to right field to send Russo and Bock home and give UH a 5-1 lead.
"We wanted to slow the pitcher (Janssen) down a bit. Sometimes it's up to us to step out, other times the coaches give us a bunch of signs that mean nothing and we step out," said Finegan, who had one hit in each game of the series.
"I was just trying to take a good swing. Our big plan this year is to take quality swings. I knew the runners would move on contact, so I just went with the pitch."
That was one of four two-out hits that scored Rainbows in the game, something that pleased Trapasso after his team failed to connect for a two-out hit in Saturday's loss.
"We call those hits 'Rainbow hits.' You get four of those in a game and you probably are going to win," said Trapasso.
"I'm pleased obviously with the results. These were our first three games and all three were fairly clean defensively. I thought we pitched well all three games and kept our walks down."
The pitching staff struck out 15 Bruins (3-4) and walked four.
Hawaii (2-1) continued to inch away from UCLA by taking advantage of an error by McMillan to score an unearned run in the fourth. McMillan made a fine diving stop of Sansaver's hit bid up the middle, but threw high to first, pulling Whisler off the bag.
Cook's single to right sent Sansaver to third and he scored on Josh Green's fielder's choice ground ball.
The Bruins got one run back in the fifth when Adam Simon dropped a bunt in front of the plate and Bock threw the ball into foul territory down the right-field line, allowing Simon to reach second. He took third on Griffin's single to center and scored on Whisler's fielder's choice.
Set down in order in the fifth and sixth innings by UCLA reliever Hector Ambriz, the 'Bows increased their lead to 8-2 with a pair of seventh-inning runs.
Ponomarenko drew a one-out walk and moved to third on Russo's line single to right. Following a mound visit by Bruin pitching coach Gary Adcock, Ambriz uncorked a wild pitch on his first offering to allow Ponomarenko to race home and Russo to take second. He scored on Montgomery's line-drive single up the middle.
Junior right-hander Clary Carlsen set the Bruins down in order in the seventh and eighth before allowing a run on three hits in the ninth.
The Rainbows host the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans tomorrow at 6:35 p.m.
Hawaii 8, UCLA 3
UCLA AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Griffin 2b 4 1 3 0 Omura 2b 4 1 1 0 Carpenter 3b 3 0 0 0 Sansaver 1b 3 1 1 1 Whisler 1b 4 0 0 2 Cook lf 4 1 1 0 Susdorf dh 4 0 1 0 Green rf 5 0 0 1 Denove c 4 0 1 0 Ponomarenko 3 1 0 0 McMillan lf 4 1 3 0 Russo 3b 3 2 2 2 McCarthy ss 4 0 0 0 Bock c 4 1 1 1 Thayer cf 3 0 0 0 Mntgmry cf 3 0 1 1 Jensen ph 1 0 1 1 Finegan ss 3 1 1 2 Simon rf 4 1 0 0 Totals 35 3 9 3 Totals 32 8 8 7
E--Denove, McCarthy, Bock. DP--UH 1. LOB--UCLA 9, Hawaii 9. 2B--Griffin, McMillan, Sansaver. HBP--Griffin, Carpenter. SH--Sansaver. SF--Whisler. SB--Montgomery, Finegan. CS--none.
UCLA (3-4) 020 010 110 -- 5 10 1 Hawaii (2-1) 010 030 000 -- 4 8 0
WP--Ambriz. S--Carlsen (1). PB--none. BK--Johnson, Pribble. HB--none. Umpires--Ryan Arasato (home), Keoki Torres (first), Don Greman (third). T--2:50. A--1,417.
UCLA IP H R ER BB SO Janssen (L, 0-1) 3.0 5 5 5 5 2 Ambriz 4.0 3 3 2 1 2 Silva 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Bauer (W, 1-0) 6.0 6 2 1 1 0 Carlsen 3.0 3 1 1 0 0
UH Athletics
