FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii second baseman Isaac Omura got the first out on a double play last night against San Jose State. Shortstop Brian Finegan looked on.
Hawaii beats
San Jose State in
13-inning marathonSansaver's single over the left
fielder runs UH's win streak to sixWAC standings Hawaii's Andrew Sansaver lofted a single over the head of San Jose State left fielder Ryan Miller to score Brian Bock with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at Murakami Stadium last night.
The 3-2 victory increased the Rainbows' winning streak to six and kept the Spartans (20-22, 6-12 WAC) winless on the road in nine conference games.
Hawaii (24-19, 6-13 WAC) moved into fifth place in the WAC standings by percentage points over Louisiana Tech with the win.
Schafer Magana started the winning rally with a single to left and took second on Matt Inouye's sacrifice bunt. Bock and Tim Montgomery walked to load the bases. The Rainbows tried to get the winning run home with a squeeze bunt by Brian Finegan, but SJSU pitcher Jose Amaya got the ball to the plate in time for the force on Magana.
After fouling off a pitch, Sansaver sent a 1-2 pitch from Amaya to left for the game-winning hit.
The Spartans broke a 1-1 tie on Nick Guerra's leadoff home run on the second pitch reliever Rich Olsen delivered to the plate in the top of the 10th inning.
The Rainbows tied it with a run in the bottom of the inning. Sansaver and Brent Cook walked. Amaya then came in from the SJSU bullpen. Jaziel Mendoza's sacrifice bunt moved up the runners. Rocky Russo was walked intentionally to load the bases. Another walk to Magana tied the game, but the Rainbows failed to pick up the winning run when Inouye hit into an inning-ending double play.
Neither team managed a run early on. Hawaii starter Ricky Bauer needed only 45 pitches to get through the first five innings. He gave up two hits, both times singles to right by Guerra and both times he got the next batter, Aaron Bates, to ground into an inning-ending double play.
SJSU starter Matt Durkin also gave up just two hits through five, but was not that sharp, running the count full on six 'Bow batters and using 95 pitches to finish five innings. The sophomore right-hander threw 33 in the fifth when he walked two batters, but retired Finegan on a pop to second to get out unscathed.
Earlier, in the fourth, Russo doubled to right-center field with two outs. But with a 1-2 count on Isaac Omura, Guerra, the Spartan catcher, picked Russo off second with a perfect throw to shortstop Anthony Contreras.
Russo had an opportunity to make up for being picked off in the sixth inning and delivered.
Durkin issued his fourth walk of the game with one out in the sixth to Cook. Mendoza, after fouling off an 0-2 pitch, grounded a ball into the right-field corner for a double with Cook stopping at third. Russo then sent Durkin's first pitch and last of the game high in the air to left, deep enough to score Cook from third with the first run of the game.
Matthew Winck replaced Durkin and ended the inning by getting Omura on a comebacker.
The Spartans took advantage of one errant pitch by Bauer to tie the score in the eighth without benefit of a hit. Bauer's second pitch to Guerra, a breaking ball inside, hit the batter on his back foot. On Bates' sacrifice-bunt attempt, Bauer's throw to second was not in time, leaving runners at first and second with no out. Pinch hitter Ryan Miller's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners a base and Guerra scored on Jon Heuerman's grounder to second.
Bauer averaged 10 pitches per inning. He did not go to a full count until the next-to-last Spartan he faced in the ninth. He finished with four strikeouts and one walk.
The Rainbows had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth when Omura opened with a single. Inouye then faked bunt, but his slash attempt turned into a fielder's choice as pinch runner Art Guillen was thrown out at second base.
But pinch hitter Bock blooped a double down the right-field line, sending Inouye to third. With the Spartans infield playing in, Contreras was able to field Montgomery's slow roller and throw to Guerra in time to get Inouye trying to score. SJSU's third pitcher, Brad Kilby, then fanned Finegan on five pitches to end the threat.
In tonight's game, UH right-hander Chris George (6-5) will take the mound against SJSU left-hander Frank Esposito (1-2).
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WAC standings
WAC games Overall W L Pct. GB W L Rice 18 2 .900 -- 39 7 Nevada 11 4 .733 4.5 22 18 Fresno State 7 9 .438 9 21 21 San Jose State 6 12 .333 11 20 22 Hawaii 6 13 .316 11.5 24 19 x-Louisiana Tech 6 14 .300 12 13 26 x-also has one nonconference tie
Yesterday
Hawaii 3, San Jose State 2, 13 innings
Rice 13, La Tech 3
Nevada 6, Fresno State 2Today
San Jose State at Hawaii
Nevada at Fresno State
Louisiana Tech at Rice
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