No. 1 Rice too HOUSTON >> College baseball games are nine innings long, but last night's Western Athletic Conference affair between Hawaii and Rice boiled down to two innings.
much for Hawaii
The Rainbows can't hold off
WAC standings
the Owls to fall to 1-9 in the WACFrom staff and wire reports
The Owls won their 27th consecutive game by scoring 12 unanswered runs after the Rainbows had managed to take an early 3-0 lead. The 12-4 victory improved No. 1 Rice's overall record to a gaudy 30-1, 10-0 in the WAC.
The Rainbows (17-15, 1-9 WAC) and starter Nick Ponomarenko were nursing a 3-2 lead when Rice's No. 9 hitter, Jeff Blackinton, bounced a single to center to open the bottom of the fifth inning.
With a one-strike count on the next batter, Jeff Jorgensen, Ponomarenko came inside with a pitch that hit Jorgensen's bat, bounced straight down, hit the dirt in the batter's box and rolled into fair territory. UH catcher Brian Bock picked the ball up and fired to second for a force on Blackinton, with the relay going to first for an apparent double play.
Not so, claimed plate umpire Ron Ridd, who said it was a foul ball. That's when Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso came out to discuss the call.
"I asked him if the ball touched anyone before it rolled into fair territory," Trapasso said. "Ridd said he would confer with the other umps. He came back and said, 'I called it a foul ball. I screwed up. You were right. It should have been a double play.'
"I didn't go out there with the intent of getting thrown out. It just happened. He kept jawing at me as I walked back to the dugout and I asked him why he was jawing at me when he was the one who screwed up."
Instead of two outs and no Owls on base, Jorgensen lined Ponomarenko's next pitch to right for a single. When Chris Kolkhorst tripled to left center to put Rice ahead and scored on a throwing error, that was it for Ponomarenko.
Justin Cayetano retired the first batter he faced, then gave up three consecutive hits and a run before he was replaced by Rich Olsen. Another run scored on a passed ball and Enrique Cruz's bloop single brought in the sixth run of the inning.
Two walks, a hit batter and three more Rice hits added up to a four-run sixth inning and a 12-3 lead.
"I don't know if that play was the reason our pitchers gave up eight hits in the next two innings, but we caved on the mound," Trapasso said. "We got wrapped up in that play and that's a shame. We had battled and played pretty well for five innings, but when adversity hit, we did not respond and Rice did."
The Rainbows had their chances against Owl starter Philip Humber, who was on the ropes in the third inning but survived to win his 17th consecutive game.
Andrew Sansaver doubled to start the third inning and Matt Inouye singled to begin the fourth inning, but the 'Bows were unable to advance either runner.
"If you look at Humber's line, it looks like he threw an absolute gem, but they had people in the pen ready," said Trapasso. "If we execute, he's out of the game, probably by the fourth inning. But we didn't execute and you can't do that against Rice."
Sophomore right-hander Ricky Bauer gets the start for UH today.
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WAC standings
WAC games Overall W L Pct. GB W L Rice 10 0 1.000 -- 30 1 Fresno St. 6 1 .857 2.5 19 13 Nevada 4 2 .667 4 14 15 x-Louisiana Tech 3 6 .333 6.5 10 18 San Jose St. 2 8 .200 8 15 17 Hawaii 1 9 .100 9 17 15 x-has one nonconference tie
Yesterday
Rice 12, Hawaii 4
Nevada 5, Lousiana Tech 2 (suspended in 6th inning due to snow)
Fresno State 9, San Jose State 3
Today
Hawaii at Rice
Louisiana Tech at Nevada
Fresno State at San Jose State
Rice 12, Hawaii 4
Hawaii (17-15) AB R H BI Rice (30-1) AB R H BI Finegan ss 5 1 1 0 Jorgensen cf 5 1 2 0 Sansaver 1b 4 0 1 0 Kolkhorst lf 3 1 1 2 Cook 3b 3 0 0 1 Bubela phlf 1 1 1 0 Green rf 4 0 0 0 Sinisi 1b 5 1 1 0 Russo dh 3 0 0 0 Davis rf 4 3 2 0 Wightman ph 0 1 0 0 Stansberry 3b 4 2 2 2 Inouye lf 4 1 2 0 Pendleton dh 3 2 1 0 Bock c 3 1 1 1 Janish ss 3 0 2 2 Jackson ph 1 0 0 0 Cruz 2b 4 0 2 3 Montgomery cf 2 0 0 0 Blackinton c 4 1 2 0 Guillen cf 1 0 1 0 Omura 2b 4 0 1 1 Total 34 4 7 3 Total 36 12 16 9
Hawaii 120 000 001 -- 4 7 1 Rice 020 064 00x -- 12 16 1 E--Omura; Bubela. DP--Hawaii 1. LOB--Hawaii 6; Rice 6. 2B--Finegan; Sansaver; Bock; Davis. 3B--Kolkhorst. SH--Finegan. SF--Stansberry. SB--Inouye. CS--Montgomery; Pendleton.
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Ponomarenko (L, 3-1) 4 8 5 5 2 1 Cayetano 1/3 3 3 3 0 0 Olsen 1 1/3 3 4 4 2 1 Peck 2 1/3 2 0 0 0 0
Rice IP H R ER BB SO Humber (W, 8-0) 8 6 3 3 1 11 Ueckert 1 1 1 0 1 3 WP-- Ponomarenko; Cayetano 4. HBP--by Humber (Cook); by Olsen (Janish). Umpires--HP:Ron Ridd, 1B: Larry King, 3B: Ray Belfiore. T--2:58. A--3,215.
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