[ ARENA FOOTBALL ]
Nevada rallies to top UH
Hawaii's quest for its 30th win and an end to a nine-game losing streak evaporated at Reno, Nev., yesterday after the Nevada Wolf Pack scored 11 runs in the eighth inning to rally for a 17-10 win.
It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Rainbows, equaling their longest losing streak of the season.
The Rainbows, who received a gritty performance from Ricky Bauer for seven innings, scored three runs in the top of the eighth for a 10-6 lead in the opener of the three-game, Western Athletic Conference series at Peccole Park.
The Wolf Pack (29-25 overall, 13-12 WAC) turned the UH bullpen into a disaster scene in the bottom of the eighth. The Wolf Pack used three walks, a catcher's interference call on Matt Inouye and eight hits -- including their fourth and fifth home runs of the game -- to create a run-scoring frenzy.
Rainbow coach Mike Trapasso used four pitchers -- Guy McDowell, Darrell Fisherbaugh, Clary Carlsen and Steven Wright -- in an attempt to find someone who could get a couple of outs after Jacob Butler grounded out to start the inning. Fourteen batters later, it finally ended.
Hawaii (29-20, 12-12) outhit Nevada 16-15 and the 'Bows received six walks, but the difference was the Wolf Pack knew how to get their teammates home. Nevada left just three runners on the base paths while UH stranded 12.
"You never feel like a four-run lead is anywhere near safe here," Trapasso said. "Pop-ups you think the outfielders will come in on end up going 10 feet over the fence for a home run.
"Guy gives up one of those home runs, gets shell shocked and can't throw strikes. Fisherbaugh gets three ground balls that hit in front of the plate and bounce over third. Nevada is a great front-runner team and started smoking the ball after that.
"It's a damn shame we blew up on the hill because we swung the bats well."
Joe Mercer's three-run homer put Nevada ahead 3-1 in the first, but consecutive solo shots by UH's Isaac Omura and Nate Thurber tied the score at 3-3 in the second.
The Rainbows went ahead 6-3 in the third on a run-scoring double by Andrew Sansaver, Omura's sacrifice fly and Thurber's RBI single.
Chris Gimenez's solo homer and Eric Streelman's two-run shot knotted the score at 6-6 in the fourth. Rocky Russo's leadoff double in the fifth inning and Sansaver's RBI single to right gave UH a 7-6 lead.
Sansaver singled home one run and Omura doubled in two teammates in the eighth inning for UH's biggest and final lead.
WAC standings
Conference All games W L Pct. GB W L Pct. x-Rice 21 3 .875 -- 40 9 .816 Nevada 13 12 .520 8 1/2 29 25 .537 Fresno State 12 12 .500 9 24 29 .453 Hawaii 12 12 .500 9 29 20 .592 Louisiana Tech 9 17 .346 13 19 35 .352 San Jose State 8 19 .296 14 1/2 20 31 .404 x-clinched WAC title
San Jose State has one non-conference tie.Yesterday
Nevada 17, Hawaii 10
Rice 9, Fresno St. 4
Today
Hawaii at Nevada, 9 a.m.
Rice at Fresno St.
Nevada 17, Hawaii 10
Hawaii AB R H BI Nevada AB R H BI Finegan ss 4 1 2 0 Gazerro cf 4 2 1 2 Kish rf 2 0 0 0 Hayes c 4 0 1 1 Wilder cf 3 0 1 0 Butler rf 3 2 1 2 Inouye c 3 2 1 0 Mercer 3b 5 3 3 4 Mendoza lf 6 2 3 1 Gimenez lf 4 3 2 1 Russo 3b 4 1 1 0 Krukow dh 3 1 2 0 Sansaver 1b 5 2 3 3 Psaradelis pr/dh 0 2 0 0 Omura 2b 4 1 3 4 Streelman 1b 5 2 4 5 Thurber dh 5 1 2 2 Madrid 2b 5 1 1 2 Green cf/rf 5 0 0 0 Marcial ss 3 1 0 0 Totals 41 10 16 10 Totals 36 17 15 17 Hawaii 123 010 030 -- 10 16 3 Nevada 300 300 0(11)x -- 17 15 1 E--Finegan (13); Inouye 2, (10); Marcial (15). DP--Hawaii 2, Nevada 1. LOB--Hawaii 12, Nevada 3. 2B--Mendoza (8); Russo (5); Sansaver (9); Omura (7); Krukow (3); Streelman (11). HR--Omura (3); Thurber (5); Butler (16); Mercer 2, (7); Gimenez (10); Streelman (8). SH--Inouye (7). SF--Omura (2); Hayes (3). SB--Finegan (12).
Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Bauer 7.0 7 6 6 2 6 McDowell 0.1 1 3 3 2 0 Fisherbaugh (L, 0-3) 0.1 5 6 6 1 0 Carlsen 0.0 2 2 1 0 0 Wright 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 Nevada IP H R ER BB SO Sutton 5.0 12 7 7 3 3 Harbaugh 0.1 1 0 0 1 1 Mason (W, 5-3) 3.2 3 3 2 2 4 HBP--by Bauer (Butler). Umpires--Chad McCardell (plate), Dan Payne (first), Ray Belfiore (third).
T--3:29. A--1,130.