[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Rocky Russo couldn't make the play along the third-base line on a ball hit by San Jose State's Josh Lansford in the seventh inning last night. Spartan baserunner Nathan Corrick got back to third safely, but never scored, as the Rainbows eventually ended the threat with a double play.
Rainbows find another
loss in extra inningsHawaii has extended three games
into extra frames, only to lose
each of them
The San Jose State Spartans dealt the Hawaii Rainbows their third consecutive loss in extra innings last night in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series before 1,354 fans at Murakami Stadium.
The Spartans (15-13-1, 5-5 WAC) scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning after closer Darrell Fisherbaugh retired the first batter. He walked Anthony Contreras on four pitches and gave up a single to left by Kevin Frandsen on a one-strike offering with Contreras stopping at second.
Fisherbaugh then got two quick strikes on Brandon Fromm, who then fouled off two pitches before lining an RBI single to right field for a 5-4 SJSU lead that stood up although the Rainbows (17-11, 3-4) threatened in the bottom of the inning.
Isaac Omura walked, was sacrificed to second and moved to third on a grounder, but after Matt Inouye was intentionally walked, Robbie Wilder lined out to first and Brad Kilby earned the save.
UH had taken a 4-2 lead in the seventh, but that did not last long, as Ricky Bauer experienced control problems in the top of the eighth, when he walked Ryan Angel, hit Frandsen with a pitch on ball four and walked Fromm to load the bases.
Fisherbaugh relieved Bauer and gave up a two-strike, two-run, soft line-drive single to left by Nate Corrick that scored Angel and Frandsen to lift SJSU in to a 4-4 tie. Fisherbaugh then fanned Travis Bectel to end the inning.
"There is no way I can let a guy walk three batters in a row without pulling him. That was bad on my part. That was my fault," said UH coach Mike Trapasso.
"We gave them the first two runs by throwing the ball all over the place, then we walk the guy that scores the winning run."
The Spartans scored two unearned runs in the third inning with a big help from two errant Rainbow throws.
With one out, David Pierson grounded a double to right just inside the first-base bag. On Angel's comebacker to the mound, Bauer's throw to second was wide, allowing Pierson to dive back safely, Angel reaching first on the fielder's choice.
Contreras then hit a one-bouncer to first baseman Andrew Sansaver, who stepped on the bag for the second out, but, in an attempt to catch Pierson rounding third, threw the ball high over a leaping Rocky Russo, allowing Pierson and Angel to score.
The Rainbows rallied in the bottom of the inning. Omura led off with a walk. Brian Finegan beat out a bunt toward second and both runners moved up on Greg Kish's sacrifice bunt. Inouye picked up two runs batted in to tie the score at 2-2 with a ground single off SJSU starter Matt Durkin down the right-field line.
San Jose State had a golden opportunity to break the tie in the seventh when Corrick doubled to the base of the wall in center to start the inning and continued to third when Inouye had trouble picking up the ball.
With the UH infield playing in, Bectel hit a grounder to Finegan for the first out. Josh Lansford then reached first on an infield single to third with Corrick holding the bag.
With the Spartan runners moving, Mark Bautista then popped up a suicide-squeeze bunt that Bauer dove to catch near the first-base line. He threw to an alert Finegan covering first base to double up Lansford, ending the threat.
After Inouye's hit, the 'Bows managed to get just one ball out of the infield as Durkin retired 12 consecutive Hawaii batters before hitting Nate Thurber with a two-strike pitch in the seventh. That pitch cost Durkin.
Omura grounded a hit-and-run, two-out single through the shortstop hole that advanced Thurber to third. Finegan picked Durkin's first pitch and lined it to the right-center-field wall, scoring Thurber and Omura for a 4-2 UH lead.
"Durkin was outstanding tonight. But, to get a two-run lead in the seventh and not be able to hold it, that is a shame," said Trapasso.
Note: Tomorrow is Military Appreciation Day. All members of the armed forces showing their military ID can purchase a ticket for half-price.
WAC standings
San Jose State has one non-conference tie.
Conference All games W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Rice 9 1 .900 -- 22 6 .786 San Jose State 5 5 .500 4 15 13 .536 Hawaii 3 4 .429 4 1/2 17 11 .607 Louisiana Tech 3 4 .429 4 1/2 12 19 .387 Nevada 1 3 .250 5 14 15 .483 Fresno State 0 4 .000 6 12 20 .375 Yesterday
Rice 16, Nevada 1
Louisiana Tech 11, Fresno St. 8
San Jose State 5, Hawaii 4, 10 innings.
Today
Rice at Nevada
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
San Jose State at Hawaii, 6:35 p.m.
Tomorrow
Rice at Nevada
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
San Jose State at Hawaii, 1:05 p.m.
San Jose St. 5, Hawaii 4
SJSU AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Angel lf 4 2 1 0 Finegan ss 4 1 3 2 Contreras ss 3 1 0 0 Kish lf/rf 3 0 0 0 Frandsen 3b 4 1 1 0 Inouye cf/c 3 0 2 2 Fromm 1b 4 0 2 1 Green rf 4 0 0 0 Corrick cf 4 0 2 2 Wilder cf 1 0 0 0 Becktel rf 4 0 0 0 Russo 3b 4 0 0 0 Lansford dh 4 0 1 0 Sansaver 1b 4 0 0 0 Bautista c 4 0 0 0 Thurber dh 3 1 0 0 Pierson 2b 1 1 1 0 Kahoali'i c 2 0 0 0 Martinez 2b 3 0 0 0 Mendoza ph/lf 1 0 0 0 Omura 2b 2 2 1 0 Magana pr 0 0 0 0 Totals 35 5 8 3 Totals 31 4 6 4 SJSU 002 000 020 1 -- 5 8 0 Hawaii 002 000 200 0 -- 4 6 2 E--Inouye (6), Sansaver (3). DP--SJSU 1, Hawaii 2. LOB--SJSU 6, Hawaii 6. 2B--Corrick (6), Pierson (4), Finegan (7). SH--Contreras (2), Corrick (4), Finegan (8), Kish (5), Inouye (4). SB--Inouye (9). CS--Kahoali'i (1).
SJSU IP H R ER BB SO Durkin (W, 5-2) 9.0 6 4 4 3 9 Kilby (S, 3) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Bauer 7.2 5 4 2 2 2 Fisherbaugh (L, 0-2) 2.1 3 1 1 1 1 HBP--by Durkin (Thurber), by Bauer (Frandsen). Umpires--Charles Lyon (home), Dale Luker (first), Gary Montalbo (third). T--2:57. A--2,514.
