Beavers bury ’Bows

UH's regional run ends with a 12-3 loss to host Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. » The Hawaii Rainbow baseball team's best season since 1992 ended with a second-place finish in the NCAA tournament's Corvallis Regional last night.

Hawaii   Kansas 9 5 Oregon St.   Hawaii 12 3 End of season

The No. 1 seeded Oregon State Beavers broke open a close game with seven unanswered runs in the last three innings to defeat Hawaii 12-3 in Goss Stadium at Coleman Field before a crowd of 2,783.

The Beavers (42-14 overall, 3-0 regional) will find out today if they host a Super Regional this weekend.

"I'm very impressed with Oregon State. They are a balanced club. They took it to us tonight," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

"I'm happy for our fans, our players and coaches that we got to a regional. I feel this was an impact year for the program. Now we have to keep it going."

The No. 3 Rainbows (45-17, 2-2) kept their season going with a 9-5 win over Kansas in yesterday's early game. The 'Bows were stretched to the limit in the pitching department with the loss of top starter Steven Wright to illness and having to advance through the losers' bracket.

"A lot of things fell into place for us. We didn't have to extend our pitching and we played well throughout the regional," said OSU coach Pat Casey.

The Beavers built a 4-0 lead against UH starter Matt Daly, but the Rainbows cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third.

Matt Inouye, who was named to the All-Regional team, doubled to left-center field and scored on Jon Hee's single to center. Hee took third on Kris Sanchez's single to center and scored when Esteban Lopez grounded a single up the middle.

OSU scored without a hit in the fifth when Tyler Graham walked, stole second, moved to third on a fly to deep center and scored on Bill Rowe's sacrifice fly.

Hawaii's final run came on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Sanchez and Lopez in the sixth. The 'Bows loaded the bases when Nate Young walked and reliever Joe Paterson hit Robbie Wilder.

The opportunity to score more runs ended when pinch-hitter Jorge Franco's line drive was right at shortstop Darwin Barney.

The Rainbows were held to one hit the rest of the way.

"We've been trying to get to a regional for four years. Not too many people can say that (they got to one) although we came up short," said Inouye.

"We were stretched in our pitching," Trapasso said. "This club fought and scratched and clawed all year to the end. Fatigue (of playing two games) was not a factor."

Hawaii 9, Kansas 5

The Rainbows staved off elimination by doing to No. 2 seed Kansas (43-25, 1-2) what the Jayhawks did to UH on Friday -- rallying from an early 5-0 deficit to win.

Inouye belted a pair of two-run homers, Luis Avila knocked in three runs with three hits and Darrell Fisherbaugh held KU scoreless for 5 1/3 innings to highlight the 'Bows comeback.

"Matt had great swings at every at-bat," said Trapasso. "We've talked all year about character defining this team. Matt is a senior and is one of our inspirational leaders."

Inouye's first homer in the third tied the score at 5-5.

Young, who had three hits, singled to center to open the inning. Wilder walked, Derek DuPree, attempting to sacrifice, popped his bunt over KU starter Ricky Fairchild for an infield single, loading the bases.

Justin Frash grounded out to first, scoring Young and moving the other runners up a base. Avila delivered a single to left-center field to score Wilder and DuPree.

Fairchild got two quick strikes on Inouye with fastballs, but his third landed beyond the left-center field fence.

"It was up and away," Inouye said. "I knew the wind was blowing out, so I was just trying to get it up in the air."

UH starter Mark Rodrigues, who gave up four first-inning runs and a solo homer to Jared Schweitzer in the double plays in the sixth and seventh helped keep KU from mounting a rally.

The junior right-hander's longest outing of the season was complicated by a cut on his right thumb, caused by his own fingernail while throwing a changeup in the bullpen. Trainer Neil Santiago made two trips to mound to try and secure the flapping piece of skin with super glue.

"Coach K (Chad Konishi) called a lot of fastballs because they knew I was going to be extended and it is easier on my arm," said Fisherbaugh. "At the end I was pretty much calling my own game going with the pitch I felt good with."

Fisherbaugh's gutsy effort earned him his third win of the season, a nice way for his parents, Debra and Dan, to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary yesterday.

"Certainly their reliever was unbelievable to come in and put up six zeros like that," KU coach Ritch Price said.

"I thought their infield played super. The three double plays their infield turned were huge to get them out of trouble."

Also making the All-Regional team from Hawaii were left-hander Ian Harrington, Frash at third base, and DuPree as the designated hitter.

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