RAINBOW BASEBALL
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Eli Christensen was forced out at second base by San Jose State's John Shaffer during last night's game.
|
|
’Bows fall to Spartans in the 12th
The San Jose State Spartans scored two runs in the 12th inning last night at Les Murakami Stadium to keep the Hawaii Rainbows winless in Western Athletic Conference play.
The Spartans broke a 5-5 tie with a one-out double to right-center field by Nick Epidendio. That hit off Darrell Fisherbaugh scored John Shaffer. He singled to center to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Chris Balatico.
The 7-5 victory in the opener of the three-game series before 652 fans dropped the Rainbows to 0-3 in conference action. They are 22-9 overall.
"We didn't make the pitches. We didn't make the plays and we didn't execute at the end. We had one outburst and that was great, but we just didn't get it done," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said.
San Jose State (20-10, 3-1) scored an insurance run when Justin Santich-Hughes blooped a single to right off Tyler Davis, who replaced Fisherbaugh.
The 'Bows had one final opportunity. Esteban Lopez and Derek DuPree singled to start the bottom of the 12th off SJSU's third pitcher, right-hander Steve Jones. However, Eli Christensen struck out trying to put a sacrifice bunt down. Jones fanned Joe Spiers on a called third strike and retired Robbie Wilder on a fly to center.
"Eli got the big two-out hit to tie the game and for a few innings he is the hero in the dugout. But the tough part of baseball is you are only remembered for what you did in your last at-bat or even your next at-bat," Trapasso said.
The Rainbows took a 1-0 lead in the second when Matt Inouye walked on a full count to start the inning. He was sacrificed to second by Lopez and moved to third on Jorge Franco's grounder to second. Christensen followed with UH's first hit, a double down the right-field line on a two-strike pitch, scoring Inouye.
The Spartans retaliated with three runs on five hits off UH starter Steven Wright in the top of the third.
Raul Campos lined a single to left to open the inning, but Wright struck out the next two batters.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Esteban Lopez celebrated with teammates after scoring the tying run in the seventh against San Jose State
|
|
David Pierson kept the inning alive with a bloop single to center. Sam Hall ripped the first pitch he saw to the alley in right-center for a two-run triple. Brian Chase also liked the first pitch, singling to center to score Hall for a 3-1 SJSU lead.
The Spartans upped their lead to 5-1 in the fifth and knocked Wright out in the process.
Ryan Angel doubled to left to start the inning and moved to third on Pierson's groundout. Wright then hit Hall with a 3-2 pitch. Chase brought both runners home with a triple to center field.
Wright's outing (4 1/3 innings) was his shortest of the season. In his last two starts the junior right-hander had surrendered 17 hits and 11 earned runs in 11 innings.
"Steve is in a bit of a funk. He can't get his pitches down and his slider was up. We have some work to do with him," Trapasso said.
Meanwhile, San Jose State starter Branden Dewing was demonstrating he could work out of potential trouble repeatedly.
The 'Bows managed to get a runner to third with two outs in the first and third innings and with one out in the fifth.
But Dewing, a senior left-hander, refused to allow a timely hit as Hawaii stranded eight runners through the first five innings.
Hawaii finally broke through in the seventh inning to tie the score at 5-5.
Dewing hit Wilder to start the inning and Jon Hee followed with a single to right, with Wilder stopping at second. Justin Frash's single to left scored Wilder. Hee stopped at second, then took third on a fly to right off the bat of Luis Avila.
Inouye's sacrifice fly to right brought Hee home and Frash alertly tagged up and advanced to second. Lopez walked and SJSU coach Sam Piraro replaced Dewing with right-hander Matt Winck.
Winck walked Franco, loading the bases. Christensen worked the count full, then lined a two-run single to center, scoring Frash and Lopez.
Rich Olsen, who replaced Wright after Chase's triple, retired 11 of the 13 Spartans he faced. But, after Campos reached on a fielding error by Hee at third to start the ninth, Matt Daly came in from the bullpen.
A one-out single to deep short by Angel put runners at first and second and they moved up a base on a groundout, but Daly got Hall on a grounder back to the mound for the final out.
The Spartans threatened in the 10th when Chase led off with a double to right-center. Daly then fanned the next two batters before sending pinch runner Greg Fyfe to third on a wild pitch. When Epidendio walked, Daly gave way to Fisherbaugh who fanned Campos to end the inning.
Angel singled to center with one down in the 11th but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. However, Fisherbaugh walked Pierson and gave up a single to right by Hall, but retired pinch hitter Chris Williammee on a two-bouncer to second for the final out.
Justin Costi starts for UH tonight.
SJSU 7, Hawaii 5, 12 inn.
SJSU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Angel lf |
6 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Wilder cflf |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0
|
Pierson 2b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Hee 3b |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0
|
Hall cf |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Frash dh |
6 |
1 |
1 |
1
|
Chase dh |
5 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
Avila 1b |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Fyfe pr |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Inouye rf |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1
|
Williammee ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lopez c |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Shaffer ss |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Franco lf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Balatico rf |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
DuPree phcf |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Epidendio 1b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Christensen ss |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3
|
Campos 3b |
6 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Spiers 2b |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Massman c |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Santich- Hughes phc |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
49 |
7 |
15 |
7 |
Totals |
45 |
5 |
11 |
5 |
San Jose State |
003 |
020 |
000 |
002 |
-- |
7 |
15 |
2
|
Hawaii |
|
|
010 |
000 |
400 |
000 |
-- |
5 |
11 |
1 |
E--Pierson; Epidendio; Hee. DP--SJSU 1. LOB--SJSU 11, Hawaii 14. 2B--Angel; Chase; Epidendio; Massman; Christensen. 3B--Hall; Chase. S--Balatico; Lopez. SF--Inouye. SB--Epidendio. CS--Campos.
San Jose State |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Dewing |
6 2/3 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
1
|
Winck |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1
|
Jones (W, 2-0) |
2 1/3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Wright |
4 1/3 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
6
|
Olsen |
3 2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
Daly |
1 2/3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3
|
Fisherbaugh (L, 2-2) |
1 2/3 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2
|
Davis |
2/3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Olsen faced 1 batter in the 9th.
WP--Daly. HBP--by Wright (Hall); by Dewing (Wilder). PB--Massman.
Umpires--Joe Burleson (plate), Danny Mascorro (first), Ron Ridd (third).
T--4:09. A--.