DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii Pacific's Scott Hunter was tagged out by Hawaii catcher Drew Jackson to preserve a 3-all tie in the sixth. The Rainbows beat the Sea Warriors 8-4.
’Bows run away from It's a series that goes back 21 years. And it's one that the Hawaii baseball team has completely dominated.
Sea Warriors again
Hawaii rallies in the seventh
before completing an 8-4
win over Hawaii PacificBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comExcept for two one-run victories two decades ago, Hawaii Pacific has had little success when facing the Rainbows. The Sea Warriors entered last night's game at Murakami Stadium trailing in the series 22-2.
Make that 23-2.
Hawaii (13-5) broke open a tight game with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull away to an 8-4 victory over HPU (4-10). It extended the Sea Warriors' losing streak against the Rainbows to 10 games, their last victory coming in an 1986 Easter Tournament pool-play game.
Hawaii hosts Matsusaka of Japan in a 6:35 exhibition game tonight. The Rainbows start a crucial conference series with No. 2 Rice on Friday.
Hawaii third baseman Rocky Russo was 14 months old the last time HPU beat UH. The freshman made sure that it wouldn't happen last night with his two-run single that gave the Rainbows some breathing room.
"This was a big game for us," said UH freshman left fielder Matt Inouye, who went 4-for-4 with an RBI-double. "We didn't want to lose to HPU. It's big when we play instate teams. There's a real rivalry.
"A lot of guys (on HPU) I knew from high school, playing against them. They're my friends. Like (HPU freshman Alika) Kuraoka. We were on the same team when we were real little. And I played against Costa just last year."
A year ago, Inouye was playing for Mid-Pac, Grandon Costa for St. Louis. Last night, Costa also had a big night; the freshman shortstop went 4-for-5 with an RBI-triple.
"We had it but we missed a couple of plays and that cost us the game," said Costa. "I had a good night but I would rather have the team win than me do well as an individual. We needed to make the big plays."
Hawaii started getting the big hits in the seventh.
UH freshman catcher Drew Jackson was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Inouye followed with a single and another single by junior shortstop Brian Finegan loaded the bases.
Junior first baseman Andrew Sansaver singled in Jackson to tie it at 4-4 and Finegan provided the go-ahead run after scoring on a wild pitch. Russo drilled a 1-1 pitch to left to score Sansaver and Brent Cook; Russo was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double.
"I was looking curveball, something off-speed," said Russo about the offering from HPU's fifth pitcher David Zamarano. "That's what he gave me and I hit it pretty well. And I really wanted that (double) a lot. I went around the tag but he called me out.
"HPU came to play tonight and we didn't."
HPU got on the scoreboard first. Brandon Say scored HPU's first run, opening the game with a lead-off walk off Hawaii starter Keahi Rawlins. Say, a freshman center fielder, took second on Costa's single to shallow right and, one out later, scored from third on Ikaika DuPont's fielder's choice.
The Sea Warriors added two runs in the fifth. Brandon Sato, son of HPU coach Allan Sato, beat out a throw by third baseman Russo for a single to open the inning.
One out later, Sato scored on Costa's triple to center just beyond the reach of UH's Tim Montgomery. Costa came in on Kuraoka's long sacrifice fly to center to put HPU up 3-0.
The Rainbows rallied to tie it in the bottom of the fifth on three singles, a walk and an error. Montgomery, on with the error, scored on Jackson's single down third that went into the left-field corner.
A single by Inouye put runners at first and second, chasing HPU starter Blane Muraoka. Finegan's single over short then scored Jackson.
Finegan was caught leaning off first by HPU reliever Matt Paulsen. Paulsen's next pitch got away from catcher Shay Hirota, allowing Inouye to score the tying run.
The Sea Warriors saw what would have been their go-ahead run in the sixth erased at the plate. Scott Hunter doubled, took third on a balk by Rainbow reliever Nick Ponomarenko, but was thrown out at home on Finegan's throw to Jackson.
Costa scored twice for HPU, including the run that would give the Sea Warriors their last lead of the game.
Costa had a bunt-single off Clary Carlsen, UH's third pitcher, with one out. He crossed in front of UH second baseman Cook on a bouncer by Kuraoka, causing Cook to miss the ball and allowing Costa to go to third.
Costa put HPU up 4-3 when scoring on an error by Sansaver. The Rainbows got out of the jam when Tyler Ward hit into a inning-ending double play.
Inouye drove in Hawaii's last run with a double in the eight that brought home Joshua Green.
Carlsen (1-1) picked up the win in relief. Brent Erickson (1-2) took the loss.
Hawaii 8, Hawaii Pacific 4
Hawaii Pacific AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Say cf 2 1 0 0 Finegan ss 4 1 2 1 Costa ss 5 2 4 1 Sansaver 1b 3 1 1 1 Kuraoka 1b 3 0 0 1 Cook 2b 4 1 0 0 DuPont dh 3 0 0 1 Russo 3b 3 0 2 2 Daguio pr 0 0 0 0 Bock dh 4 0 0 0 Ward rf 5 0 0 0 Green rf 4 1 1 0 Hunter lf 4 0 1 0 Montgmery cf 3 1 0 0 Little 3b 4 0 0 0 Jackson c 3 2 1 1 Hirota c 3 0 1 0 Inouye lf 4 1 4 1 Sato 2b 4 1 1 0 Totals 33 4 7 3 Totals 32 8 11 6 E--Costa, Sato, Sansaver, Cook 2. DP--Hawaii 1. LOB--HPU 10, Hawaii 7. 2B--Hunter, Green, Jackson, Inouye 2. 3B--Costa. SH--Say, Kuraoka, Finegan. SF--Kuraoka. CS--Cook.
Hawaii Pacific 100 020 100 -- 4 7 2 Hawaii 000 030 41x -- 8 11 3
Hatanaka faced one batter in the seventh; Erickson faced three batters in the seventh.
Hawaii Pacific IP H R ER BB SO Muraoka 4.1 4 3 1 1 2 Paulsen 0.2 1 0 0 1 0 Hatanaka 1.0 0 1 1 1 1 Erickson (L,1-2) 0.0 3 3 3 0 0 Zamarano 2.0 3 1 1 1 2 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Rawlins 3.0 2 1 1 2 2 Ponomarenko 3.0 4 2 2 0 0 Carlsen (W,1-1) 3.0 1 1 0 1 0
WP--Paulsen, Zamarano. HBP--by Rawlins (DuPont), by Hatanaka (Jackson), by Carlsen (Hirota), by Zamarano (Montgomery). BK--Paulsen, Ponomarenko.
Umpires--Jim LeBeau (plate), Mike Evans (first), Keoki Torres (third).
T--2:56. A--Unavailable.
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