GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH's Andrew Sansaver, right; was congratulated by teammate Joshua Green after hitting a two-run home run yesterday.
Rainbows run into The Hawaii Rainbows needed one more strike to extricate themselves from a ninth-inning jam and preserve a victory in the finale of a three-game series against Nevada.
another sweep
Hawaii tries to get something
Easter tourney compressed to 4
started, only to fall a run shortBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThey never got that strike. Two batters later the Wolf Pack rallied for two runs and a 5-4 Western Athletic Conference win to sweep the series at Murakami Stadium.
With runners at first and third and two out, right-handed batter Robert Marcial fouled off a 1-2 pitch, then slapped the next one deep into the hole at shortstop. Brian Finegan made the stop but his throw from a flat-footed position had little velocity.
"He was trying to go to right and fouled a pitch off that way, so we came inside and he just hit the ball in a perfect spot," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso.
Marcial was safe and pinch hitter Mike Hass, who started the ninth with an infield hit almost to the same spot and took second on Erick Streelman's line single to center, scored.
After Hass and Streelman reached safely, UH closer Clary Carlsen got Jason Butler to pop up on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Tony Cappuccilli flied out to the warning track in center for the second out, but Hass moved to third after the catch.
With the score now 4-4, Carlsen walked Ryan Strain on four pitches, then hit Brett Hayes on a 1-1 count to force in the winning run.
The Wolf Pack (12-13, 4-2) had not scored since the first inning when they took a 2-0 lead on Kevin Kouzmanoff's two-run double high off the left-field wall.
After that, Rainbow starter Justin Cayetano pitched excellent ball allowing just one Nevada runner to reach third base over the next six innings.
"Justin had his best outing of the year. He threw three pitches (fastball, curve, changeup) for strikes. Having him and Josh (Green) come back are positives we can take from this game," said Trapasso.
Green, who sat on the bench for the two games against Coastal Carolina midweek and entered yesterday's game hitting a disappointing .234, went 4-for-4 yesterday.
The Rainbows (14-12, 1-8 WAC) used Brent Cook's solo home run in the fourth to stay close, then took the lead in the seventh inning on a two-run blast by Andrew Sansaver. The ball cleared both fences and the road behind the right-field fence at Murakami Stadium. Green, who had singled to center, scored ahead of Sansaver.
"It was a fastball down the middle," Sansaver, who was 3-for-3, said of his first Rainbow homer. "I'm more concerned with us just winning a baseball game. This is overwhelming right now. One big play seems to take the wind out of our sails. We've got to get our confidence back."
The Rainbows tried to manufacture a run in the third inning with Green on third, Sansaver at first and Finegan at the plate. Trapasso called for the safety squeeze.
"We do that a lot with one out. It's a way to get a run on the board and keeps you out of the double play. Brian just squared a little early and bunted a little too hard which allowed the first baseman to make the play," said Trapasso.
Ben Mummy fielded the bunt and flipped to catcher Brett Hayes who tagged a sliding Green out.
Then in the fifth, Green reached base with a double and came home on Sansaver's hard grounder headed for center field that hit umpire Rich Saxton before it had been touched or passed an infielder other than the pitcher. That made the ball dead. Sansaver was credited with a single and Green returned to second.
UH then tried a hit and run, but Nick Ponomarenko missed on a breaking ball off the plate and Hayes threw Green out at third.
"You hope the guy (UN starter Eddie Bonine) throws a strike. He had been around the plate all day," said Trapasso.
"We have to break out of this and the Easter Tournament is a good time to do it."
Nevada 4, Hawaii 3
Nevada AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Strain 2b 2 1 0 0 Finegan ss 4 0 0 0 Hayes c 4 1 3 1 Omura 2b 4 0 1 0 Dickerson cf 4 0 0 0 Cook lf 4 1 1 1 Koufmanoff 3b 4 0 1 2 Russo 3b 3 0 0 0 Mummy 1b 2 0 0 0 Magana 3b 0 0 0 0 Gimenez rf 1 0 0 0 Bock c 4 0 0 0 Bass ph/rf 1 1 1 0 Inouye cf 3 0 0 0 Streelman dh 4 0 2 0 Montgmry cf 1 0 0 0 Pullins ss 0 1 0 0 Green rf 4 1 4 0 Butler c 4 0 0 0 Pnmarenko dh 4 0 0 0 Cappccilli c/dh 4 0 1 0 Sansaver 1b 3 1 3 2 Marcial ss 4 0 3 1 Totals 34 4 11 4 Totals 34 3 9 3 E--Bock. DP--Nevada 1; UH 1. LOB--Nevada 8, Hawaii 5. 2B-- Koufmanoff; Cappuccilli; Green. HR--Cook; Sansaver. HBP--Hayes. SH--Strain, Dickerson. SF--None. SB--Streelman; Green. CS--Hayes; Green.
Nevada (12-13, 4-2) 200 000 002 -- 4 11 0 Hawaii (14-12, 1-8) 000 100 200 -- 3 9 1
WP--Bonine. S--none. PB--none. BK--none. HBP--by Carlsen (Hayes); by Baker (Sansaver); by Bauer (Kolkhorst); by Carlsen (Emerson). Umpires--Don Greman (home), Chad McCardell (first), Richard Saxton (third). T--2:49. A--1,040.
Nevada IP H R ER BB SO Bonine (W, 2-4) 8 8 3 3 1 7 Basch 1 1 0 0 0 2 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Cayetano 7 7 2 2 1 5 Carlsen (L, 1-2) 2 4 2 2 1 0
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