Hawaii's Steve Bryant struck out 11 last night while allowing one run on seven hits in the Rainbows' first complete game of the season.
Rainbows snap
skid vs. FSU
In his final home start,
Steve Bryant goes the
distance for a 4-1 win
Steve Bryant pitched Hawaii's first complete game of the season and received timely help from batterymate Esteban Lopez as the Rainbows won their seventh consecutive Western Athletic Conference baseball game.
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Bryant, 0-3 lifetime against FSU going into the game, battled Bulldogs ace Matt Garza, previously 3-0 in his career against UH, in a matchup that proved to be low-scoring, as expected.
"The only way we were going to win a game like this against a pitcher like Garza was to scratch and claw for runs. Steve and Esteban were the heroes tonight," said UH coach Mike Trapasso.
"I'm happy for Lopez, to see him break out in situations like tonight."
The 'Bows (25-23, 12-10 WAC) broke a 1-1 tie and took a 3-1 lead in the seventh. Lopez's first home run as a Rainbow, a one-out high fly that cleared the wall in front of the scoreboard, came on a one-strike pitch. It was just the fourth hit allowed by Garza.
Derek Dupree hit a high bouncer to deep second on the next pitch for an infield single. Joe Spiers then grounded out on a bouncer over the mound, moving Dupree to second. Erik Ammon took two balls from Garza, then lined a run-scoring single to right center.
"I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball and get on base," said Lopez of the fastball, middle away that landed between the two fences in right-center field.
"This was Steve's night. It was good to end this way in his last home game. He had command of all three pitches -- fastball, curve, changeup -- and he got ahead (in the count) with strikes."
Bryant, a senior right-hander, said he likes close games. He had good mechanics all night and didn't hesitate when the coaches asked him if he was ready to go in the ninth.
"I told them it was my game. Garza pitched his ass off and I knew it was going to be low-scoring," said Bryant, who tied his career high with 11 strikeouts. "I felt great at the end, but was a little bit tired after 106 pitches. I gave it all, like I always do. The time we had off definitely helped."
Trapasso said, "We knew we would have to hold them down, no easy task, but Steve did that. They both pitched great. The key for us was the fifth and sixth innings. Steve held them to one run in the fifth and nothing in the sixth. He controlled things by allowing just the one run."
Teammates congratulated Esteban Lopez, right, of Hawaii last night after his solo homer gave the Rainbows a 3-1 lead over Fresno State in the seventh inning.
Bryant got out of the inning when Ryan Overland fouled out to Lopez.
The 'Bows managed a run in the second. Nate Thurber opened the inning with a single to center. Adam Roberts walked with one out and Lopez was hit by a pitch with two outs, loading the bases. Garza threw four consecutive balls to Dupree to force Thurber home before Garza fanned Spiers to escape further trouble.
FSU tied the score at 1-1 with a run in the fifth. Consecutive singles to short, right and left by Moore, Susdorf and Overland, brought home the tying run. Todd Sandell's sacrifice bunt moved the runners up, but Bryant retired Christian Vitters on a foul pop to third and Kent Sakamoto on a grounder to short to end the inning.
In the sixth, the Bulldogs threatened again as Nick Moresi singled to right and took second when Spiers dropped Beau Mills' high popup near the third-base foul line behind the bag. The runners advanced on Gomez's foul fly caught by Matt Inouye by the bullpen fence.
Bryant then grabbed Moore's one-hopper and caught Moresi too far off third with a quick throw to Schafer Magana. Bryant fanned Susdorf to end the inning.
Garza, after giving up a one-out single to Isaac Omura in the third, retired 10 consecutive Rainbows before Magana lined a single to left with two out in the sixth. Garza then recorded his 10th strikeout, getting Roberts on three pitches.
Hawaii added a fourth run in the eighth against reliever Michael Cooper when Thurber walked to start the inning and moved to second on Magana's sacrifice bunt. FSU elected to walk Inouye intentionally with two out to bring Lopez to the plate. The junior catcher lined a one-strike pitch to left that scored pinch runner Jon Hee with a welcomed insurance run.
When Bryant retired pinch hitter DeAndre Miller on a grounder to first to end the game, that was the last batter Trapasso was going to let him face.
"We had Steven Wright hot in the bullpen," said Trapasso.
Hawaii right fielder Matt Inouye lost the ball in the lights last night at Les Murakami Stadium.
Hawaii 4, Fresno State 1
Fresno State AB R H BI Hawaii AB R H BI Vitters ss 4 0 1 0 Spiers ss 4 0 0 0 Sakamoto 1b 4 0 0 0 Ammon lf 4 0 1 1 Morasi cf 4 0 1 0 Omura 2b 4 0 1 0 Mills 3b 4 0 0 0 Thurber dh 3 1 1 0 Gomez dh 3 0 0 0 Hee pr 0 1 0 0 Moore rf 4 1 2 0 Magana 3b 3 0 1 0 Susdorf lf 3 0 1 0 Roberts 1b 3 0 0 0 Overland c 4 0 2 1 Inouye rf 3 0 0 0 Sandell 2b 2 0 0 0 Lopez c 3 1 2 2 Miller ph 1 0 0 0 Dupree cf 3 1 1 1 Totals 33 1 7 1 Totals 30 4 7 4 Fresno State 000 010 000 -- 1 7 0 Hawaii 010 000 21x -- 4 7 1 E--Spiers. LOB--Fresno 8, Hawaii 8. HR--Lopez. SH--Susdorf, Sandell, Magana.
Fresno State IP H R ER BB SO Garza (L, 5-5) 7 6 3 3 2 10 Cooper 1 1 1 1 2 1 Hawaii IP H R ER BB SO Bryant (W, 7-3) 9 7 1 1 1 11 HBP--by Garza, (Lopez).
Umpires--Jim Garman(home), Tom Chandler (first), Heath Jones (third).
T--2:18. A--1,570.
WAC standings
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Rice 13 8 .619 -- 33 15 Hawaii 12 10 .545 1 1/2 25 23 Nevada 11 10 .524 2 22 22 Fresno State 11 11 .500 2 1/2 25 26 San Jose State* 11 13 .458 3 1/2 24 23 Louisiana Tech 8 13 .381 5 1/2 16 30 * -- San Jose St. has one nonconference tie
Tuesday
Northwestern State 3, Louisiana Tech 2
California 5, San Jose State 3
Wednesday
Rice 7, Baylor 0
Yesterday
Hawaii 4, Fresno State 1
Today
Rice at Nevada
San Jose State at Sacremento State
Fresno State at Hawaii
Tomorrow
Rice at Nevada
San Jose State at Sacremento State (DH)
Fresno State at Hawaii
Sunday
Rice at Nevada
San Jose State at Sacremento State
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