GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Isaac Omura turned a double play as San Jose State's Justin Styles went into second base yesterday.
Freshman ends
Rainbows’ streakCabral fans seven in San Jose
State's 5-3 win over HawaiiWAC standings
Several streaks ended yesterday afternoon in the Western Athletic Conference baseball series finale between Hawaii and San Jose State at the Les Murakami Stadium.
The Rainbows had a difficult time figuring out SJSU freshman right-hander Corey Cabral, but the Spartans had no trouble with UH freshman right-hander Keahi Rawlins' offerings.
Scoring all their runs in the first three innings, the Spartans ended a 10-game WAC losing skid with a 5-3 victory before 1,226 fans. The loss halted Hawaii's seven-game winning streak, including six consecutive league wins.
The difference between the two starters was control. Cabral had it and Rawlins did not.
"When any pitcher throws his first pitch for a strike, he can win in this league," said UH first baseman Andrew Sansaver. "He (Cabral) was throwing his breaking ball for strikes."
UH catcher Brian Bock added, "Cabral had a weird little change-up and slider and early on he had us fishing. He got the job done."
Cabral limited the Rainbows to just one hit, a bunt single by Sansaver, through the first five innings. He also struck out seven batters. It wasn't until Hawaii's 20th batter of the game, Brent Cook with two outs in the sixth inning, that the Rainbows got a ball out of the infield against the crafty Cabral.
Cook doubled inside the third-base bag, but was stranded there as Jaziel Mendoza grounded out to end the inning.
"Cabral just did a good job," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso. "The truth is we never got good swings against him even when the count was in our favor. He either had late life on his ball or deception."
The next ball out of the infield off Cabral left the park as Rocky Russo homered over the left-field fence to start the seventh, but Cabral lasted until two were out in the eighth when UH loaded the bases on Sansaver's single and two walks. However, senior right-hander Andy Cook jammed Matt Inouye with a 3-1 pitch and the result was an easy grounder to short for the inning-ending force out at second.
San Jose State (21-23, 7-13 WAC) struck quickly in the first inning when the first four Spartans reached base safely against Rawlins.
Nathan Corrick and David Pierson singled and Nick Guerra walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. Jordan Bergstrom singled to right past a diving Sansaver at first to drive in the first run. Kevin Frandsen hit the next pitch into a 4-6-3 double play as Pierson scored. Mark Bautista then hit a hard line drive right to shortstop Brian Finegan to end the inning.
The Spartans took a 5-0 lead in the third and knocked Rawlins out of the game in the process.
"The biggest thing for Keahi is to throw strikes," said Bock. "He has so much movement on his ball that he gets ground balls and pop-ups when he throws strikes."
Corrick walked to start the inning and took second when Pierson beat out a bunt up the first-base line to Sansaver, who made a diving stab at tagging Pierson since no one covered the bag.
Guerra lined an RBI double into the left-field corner scoring Corrick, with Pierson stopping at third.
Following a mound visit by UH pitching coach Chad Konishi, Rawlins fanned Bergstrom on a 2-2 pitch.
Frandsen's high bouncer in the hole, which Finegan snagged but could not get a throw to first in time, went for an infield single to load the bases.
After Bautista hit a little looper to Isaac Omura at second for the second out, Rawlins really struggled with his control, walking Markum King on a 3-1 pitch and Jon Heuerman on four consecutive balls to force in SJSU's fourth and fifth runs.
Clary Carlsen took over for Rawlins and one-hit the Spartans the rest of the way.
A leadoff walk to Bock and consecutive one-out doubles by Omura and Finegan produced UH's final two runs in the ninth. Andy Cook then settled down and fanned Sansaver swinging and Brent Cook looking.
San Jose State 5, Hawaii 3
SJSU AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Corrick cf 4 2 2 0 Finegan ss 4 0 1 2 Pierson 2b 5 2 2 0 Sansaver 1b 5 0 2 0 Guerra dh 3 1 1 1 Cook 3b 4 0 1 0 Bergstrom 1b 3 0 1 1 Mendoza lf 4 0 0 0 Frandsen 3b 4 0 1 0 Russo dh 3 1 1 1 Bautista c 4 0 0 0 Inouye rf 2 0 0 0 King lf 3 0 0 1 Bock c 3 1 0 0 Heuerman rf 3 0 0 1 Montgomery cf 3 0 0 0 Styles ss 3 0 0 0 Gilbride ph 1 0 0 0 Omura 2b 4 1 1 0 Totals 32 5 7 4 Totals 33 3 6 3
San Jose State 203 000 000 -- 5 7 0 Hawaii 000 000 102 -- 3 6 0 DP -- Hawaii 2. LOB -- SJSU 6; Hawaii 9. 2B -- Corrick (2); Guerra (8); Finegan (16); Cook (8); Omura (6). HR -- Russo (4). HBP -- Bergstom; Styles. SB -- Frandsen (3).
San Jose State IP H R ER BB SO Cabral (W, 2-1) 7.2 4 1 1 5 7 Cook 1.1 2 2 2 1 2
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Rawlins (L, 4-3) 2.2 6 5 5 4 1 Carlsen 6.1 1 0 0 0 1 WP -- Rawlins (9). HBP -- by Carlsen (Bergstrom); by Carlsen (Styles). Umpires -- HP: David Wiley. 1b: Jim Garman. 3b:Jim LeBeau. T -- 2:35. A -- 1,226.
BACK TO TOP |
WAC standings
WAC games Overall W L Pct. GB W L Rice 19 2 .905 -- 40 7 Nevada 12 5 .706 5 23 19 Fresno State 8 10 .444 9.5 22 22 San Jose State 7 13 .350 11.5 21 23 Hawaii 7 14 .333 12 25 20 x-Louisiana Tech 6 15 .286 13 13 27 x-also has one nonconference tie
Yesterday
San Jose State 5, Hawaii 3
Fresno State 12, Nevada 7
