Bauer saves day for ’Bows
SAN FRANCISCO >> Ricky Bauer needed just four pitches -- a called strike, a ball, a called strike and a swinging strike -- to extricate Hawaii from a sticky situation in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday.
Bauer was the fourth of four Rainbow relief pitchers that limited San Francisco to four hits and one unearned run over the final 6 1/3 innings. With the bullpen holding the Dons at bay, the UH offense finally produced enough runs for the Rainbows to rally and escape with a 6-5 nonconference win at Benedetti Diamond.
"It was weird. It was a bad, bad, bad first six innings. We were sleepwalking. It was a situation where I thought we would not be very happy when the game was over," said UH coach Mike Trapasso. "But the bullpen came through."
Freshman right-hander Steven Wright started for UH (23-13) but did not have a good outing. The Dons broke a 1-1 tie by scoring three runs after Wright retired the first two batters in the third inning.
Armand Gaerlan singled to left. Chris Genung bounced a single over third that tipped off the glove of a leaping Schafer Magana. Blake Nelson followed with a first-pitch single to right that scored Gaerlan. Joe Jacobitz brought two teammates home with a triple to right.
When Wright walked the next batter, Guy McDowell replaced him. McDowell needed just two pitches to retire Nick Cirbo on a ground ball to second.
"Steven had a little bad luck on that bouncer. If Schafer makes the play, we're out of the inning," said Trapasso. "After that, we couldn't stop them and I had to get Steven out of there. I didn't want the game to get out of hand.
"Guy came in and did a nice job. He settled the game for us. But I didn't want him throwing more than 30 pitches and I may have burned him for Friday (UH's opener at Fresno State)."
Keahi Rawlins took over in the sixth and threw two innings of one-hit ball, retiring six of the seven Dons he faced.
"Keahi was throwing his slider for strikes. This was the first time all year he has done that with consistency," said Trapasso. "That was key for him and for us.
Trailing 5-2, the Rainbows got a break to start the seventh inning when Andrew Sansaver's ground ball went right under the glove and through the legs of Gaerlan at shortstop. That error and another by pitcher Derek Tate contributed to UH's four-run inning.
Josh Green doubled to right, sending Sansaver to third, and Magana followed with a two-run single to center, cutting the UH deficit to one run, 5-4.
Isaac Omura was safe on a bunt up the first-base line when no one covered first base and Magana advanced to third on Tate's throwing error. Magana held at third as Omura was forced out at second on Brian Finegan's grounder to third, but scored on Greg Kish's fielder's choice ground ball.
Matt Inouye then doubled on a 1-1 pitch to center, scoring Kish with the winning run.
Rawlins walked the first batter in the eighth and was relieved by Darrell Fisherbaugh. The right-hander gave up a single to Jacobitz, then fanned the next three Dons.
Hawaii 6, USF 5
Hawaii AB R H BI USF AB R H BI Finegan ss 5 1 2 0 Smith 3b 4 1 1 0 Kish lf 3 2 0 0 Click 2b 4 0 0 0 Inouye cf 3 0 2 2 Gaerlan ss 4 1 1 0 Thurber dh 3 0 0 0 Genung 1b 5 1 3 1 Mendoza ph 1 0 0 0 Nelson dh 3 1 2 1 Kahoali'i c 4 0 1 0 Knoble pr 0 0 0 0 Sansaver 1b 4 1 0 0 Donald ph 1 0 0 0 Green rf 4 1 1 0 Jacobitz lf 4 0 2 1 Magana 3b 4 1 1 2 Gartrell rf 1 0 0 0 Omura 2b 3 0 1 0 Fukuroku ph 1 0 0 0 Cirbo c 4 1 1 0 Cousins cf 4 0 0 1 Totals 34 6 8 4 Totals 35 5 10 4
Hawaii 100 001 400 -- 6 8 1 USF 103 001 000 -- 5 10 4
E--Kahoali'i (13), Click (3), Gaerlan (17), Cirbo (5), Tate (1). DP--Hawaii 1. LOB--Hawaii 7, USF 9. 2B--Finegan (8), Inouye (17), Kahoali'i (6), Green (6). 3B--Jacobitz (1). SH--Kish (8), Click (6). SB--Finegan (7), Cirbo (5). CS--Omura (2).
WP--Wright (4), Franco 2 (3). HBP--by Pereira (Inouye). BK--Pereira (1). PB--Cirbo (9). Umpires--Wayne Naualt (home), Bill Swanson (first), Steve Corvi (third). T--2:54. A--275.
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Wright 2.2 6 4 4 2 2 McDowell 2.1 1 0 0 0 2 Rawlins (W, 2-2) 2.0 1 1 0 1 2 Fisherbaugh 1.2 2 0 0 2 3 Bauer (S, 1) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 USF IP H R ER BB SO Pereira 4.0 1 1 1 0 4 Franco (L, 5-4) 2.0 3 4 2 2 2 Tate 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 McGuigan 2.0 2 0 0 1 2
