[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
Hawaii starting pitcher Ricky Bauer shut out Nevada for nine innings last night but received no offensive support.
Inouye’s sacrifice fly
breaks Nevada’s spell
The Hawaii Rainbows pushed a run across in the bottom of the 10th inning to edge Nevada 1-0 in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference baseball series at Murakami Stadium.
The victory ended the Rainbows' 11-game losing streak to the Wolf Pack.
Matt Inouye lifted a sacrifice fly to left that scored pinch runner Andrew Castillo with the winning run.
The teams play again today at 6:35 p.m. Stephen Bryant will start on the mound for UH.
Designated hitter Nate Thurber gave UH (25-15, 9-7 WAC) life when he doubled to the right-center-field alley to begin the bottom of the 10th. Castillo ran for Thurber.
"I knew he (Nevada reliever Bryan Johnson) was a fastball-slider pitcher and I was going to wait for a fastball. I got one and it went," said Thurber.
Wilder, attempting to sacrifice with a one-strike count, popped his second attempt up in the air foul on the third-base side of home plate. Wolf Pack catcher Brett Hayes dove for the ball and plate umpire Gary Montalbo ruled Hayes did not make the catch. Television replays showed otherwise.
Nevada coach Gary Powers argued and was ejected. Wilder then struck out when he fouled off a 1-2 pitch attempting to bunt.
Brian Finegan was intentionally walked. Andrew Sansaver walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Inouye.
Nevada (23-21, 8-8) managed to get just one runner in scoring position through the first five innings against UH starter Ricky Bauer on Hayes' double to left-center field with two outs in the third.
Hawaii did not fare much better through five against Nevada starter Travis Sutton, despite loading the bases in the second. Jaziel Mendoza singled to right to open the inning and was sacrificed to second by Rocky Russo.
After Sutton retired Isaac Omura on a foul pop to the catcher, he walked Creighton Kahoali'i and Thurber, but struck out Josh Green on a 1-2 count to escape the jam.
"You couldn't ask for anything more from either pitcher. Sutton had three pitches he threw for strikes any time in the count. Ricky was outstanding and he reached back and got it done in the ninth when he was pithing on guts and fumes," said UH coach Mike Trapasso.
"We did not execute and made too many mistakes not to get beat. I'll guarantee you Nevada will be ready to play tomorrow because they have always had a toughness I would like to emulate."
Mendoza singled to begin the fourth and stole second but was thrown out trying to advance to third on Omura's fly to left-center for an inning-ending double play.
Sutton walked Sansaver and Inouye with one out in the sixth, but shortstop Robert Marcial grabbed Mendoza's grounder in the hole and forced Sansaver at third for the second out. Sutton then deflected Russo's ground ball up the middle to second baseman Carlos Madrid, who made the play to first for the final out.
Following Hayes' double, Bauer retired 12 consecutive Nevada hitters. He received considerable help from Omura at second base in the fifth inning. He made a diving stop in short right field on a hard grounder and threw out Derek McNeil at first. Madrid followed with a slow bouncer past the mound that Omura barehanded and flipped to first in time.
McNeil broke the streak with a leadoff single to right opening the eighth and took second on Madrid's sacrifice bunt. Bauer then retired Marcial on a grounder to short and fanned Brain Gazerro on a 2-2 pitch.
Finegan reached on an infield single to start the eighth and took second on a wild pitch, but Sutton got Sansaver on a fly to center, Inouye on a liner to second and Mendoza on a grounder to short.
Hayes reached first to start the ninth when he fanned on a pitch in the dirt, but Sansaver dropped Kahoali'i's throw to first. However, Jacob Butler and Erick Streelman flied out to right and Chris Gimenez grounded into a fielder's choice.
Bauer was replaced by Guy McDowell to start the 10th inning. Bauer allowed three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out seven. He threw 130 pitches.
Sutton also was replaced after nine shutout innings, in which he walked five, struck out five and gave up four hits.
WAC Standings
Conference All games W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Rice 16 1 .941 -- 33 7 .825 Hawaii 9 7 .563 6 1/2 25 15 .625 Nevada 8 8 .500 7 1/2 23 21 .523 Fresno State 7 8 .467 8 19 25 .432 San Jose State 7 14 .333 11 17 24 .417 Louisiana Tech 4 13 .235 12 13 30 .302 San Jose State has one non-conference tie.
Hawaii 1, Nevada 0
Nevada AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Gazerro cf 3 0 0 0 Finegan ss 4 0 2 0 Hayes c 4 0 1 0 Sansaver 1b 3 0 0 0 Butler rf 4 0 0 0 Inouye cf 3 0 0 1 Streelman 1b 4 0 0 0 Mendoza lf 4 0 2 0 Gimenez lf 4 0 0 0 Russo 3b 3 0 0 0 Mercer 3b 4 0 2 0 Omura 2b 4 0 0 0 Graham dh 1 0 0 0 Kahoali'i c 3 0 0 0 McNeil phdh 3 0 1 0 Thurber dh 2 0 1 0 Madrid 2b 3 0 0 0 Castillo pr 0 1 0 0 Marcial ss 4 0 0 0 Green rf 3 0 0 0 Wilder ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 34 0 4 0 Totals 30 1 5 1 Nevada 000 000 000 0 -- 0 4 0 Hawaii 000 000 000 0 -- 1 5 2 E--Sansaver 2. DP--Nevada 1. LOB--Nevada 6, Hawaii 9. 2B--Hayes, Thurber. SH--Madrid, Russo. SF--Inouye. SB--Mendoza.
Nevada IP H R ER BB SO Sutton 9 4 0 0 5 6 Johnson (L, 1-2) 2/3 1 1 1 2 1 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Bauer 9 3 0 0 0 8 McDowell (W, 2-1) 1 1 0 0 0 0 WP--Sutton. HBP--by Bauer (Gazerro). BK--Hayes. Umpires--Gary Montalbo (plate), John Loduca (first), Danny Mascorro (third).
T--3:08. A--2,030 (tickets issued).
