StarBulletin.com

Hornets get to Slaats and sloppy Rainbows


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POSTED: Saturday, April 17, 2010

Hornet Field continues to sting the Hawaii baseball team.

Andrew Ayers finished a double short of the cycle and drove in four runs. and Blake Miller went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead Sacramento State to an 11-6 victory over Hawaii yesterday in Sacramento, Calif.

The Rainbows (17-16, 1-4 Western Athletic Conference) lost their fifth straight game at Hornet Field and have lost five of their last seven overall.

Sacramento State (12-17-1, 1-0) out-hit the 'Bows 14-9 and Hawaii committed an uncharacteristic four errors.

“;We played horrible defense,”; Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “;We were credited with four errors, but we probably had seven. I'm very disappointed in the way we played.”;

Alex Capaul (5-2) took the loss for Hawaii, allowing seven hits and eight runs in two innings in relief of starter Josh Slaats. Slaats allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings, walking three and striking out seven.

Trevor Paine hit an RBI double and Miller added an RBI single to put the Hornets up 2-0 after four innings.

Greg Garcia hit a two-out RBI single, and after Kolten Wong's base hit, David Freitas jacked a three-run home run in the fifth inning to put Hawaii up 4-2.

The Hornets wore out Slaats, who reached the 100-pitch mark by the end of the fifth inning and couldn't go any longer.

“;It's a mechanical thing we have been working on all year, and when he does it, he's lights out,”; Trapasso said. “;He battled himself, but he also battled the absolutely worst strike zone I have ever seen in 20 years of coaching.

“;Had nothing to do with the outcome, but it sure didn't help the fact that Slaats is out there at 100 pitches in five innings. (The umpire) was horrible, he was arrogant, he was trying to bait me. It was an embarrassment to that profession.”;

Three straight singles loaded the bases in the fifth, but the only run Sac State could push across came on a two-out walk by Trevor Bloom.

Christian Johnson hit two solo homers to tie him with Kevin Macdonald for the team lead with five.

The Hornets put the game away with back-to-back, four-run innings off Capaul, who was lit up for seven hits.

Throwing errors by Pi'ikea Kitamura and Macdonald put two runners on for Ayers, who drove a triple down the right-field line to score two.

“;Capaul was outstanding in the sixth inning,”; Trapasso said. “;He was getting ground ball after ground ball and we just threw the ball all over the place defensively. It was a shame.”;

Kirby Young added an RBI single in the inning and the Hornets piled on four more on Miller's two-run single and a two-run homer by Ayers.

Johnson reached base in all four plate appearances and Garcia was the only other Rainbow with at least two hits.

The Hornets scored runs in five consecutive innings and had the leadoff batter reach base in six of eight innings they came to bat.

The four-game series continues with a doubleheader today at 8:30 a.m. Sam Spangler (2-4, 4.20 ERA) will start the first game and sophomore Matt Sisto (3-4, 6.94), who hasn't pitched in two weeks, will start the second game scheduled for seven innings.

 

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 WLTPct.GBOvr.
New Mexico State311.70025-11-1
Fresno State320.6001/220-15
Louisiana Tech320.6001/218-14
Sacramento State1001.0001 1/212-17-1
San Jose State230.4001 1/213-19
Nevada121.3751 1/216-13-1
Hawaii140.2002 1/217-16

 

Yesterday
Sacramento State 11, Hawaii 6
New Mexico State 9, San Jose State 4
Louisiana Tech 13, Fresno State 7
Nevada 11, Seattle 5
Today
Nevada at Seattle 9 a.m.
New Mexico State at San Jose State 10 a.m.
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State (doubleheader) 10 a.m.
Hawaii at Sacramento State (doubleheader) 11:30 a.m.

 

SACRAMENTO STATE 11, HAWAII 6

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
HAWAII ABRHBISAC STATEABRHBI
Roquemore lf5000Powers 1b5210
Garcia ss4121Ayers 3b4334
Wong 2b5110Young ss4021
Freitas c3113Paine dh4021
Bennett cf4000Chilton lf5020
Johnson rf3232Bloom rf2211
Van Doornum dh4010McCarthy rf1000
Macdonald 1b2110Mezzaneras cf4100
Kitamura 3b4000Lamb c4100
     Miller4233
Totals34696Totals37111410


                                                                                                                                                           
HAWAII000041010694
SACRAMENTO STATE00111440x11140


E—Garcia 2, Macdonald, Kitamura. DP—Hawaii 1. Sacramento State 2. LOB—Hawaii 6. Sacramento State 8. 2B—Paine, Chilton. 3B—Ayers. HR—Freitas, Johnson 2, Ayers. HBP—Ayers, Paine. SB—Garcia. Young.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
HawaiiIPHRERBBSO
Slaats573237 
Capaul (L, 5-2)278611
Allianic100000
Sacramento StateIPHRERBBSO
Butler575532
Guglielmo (W, 1-2)100001
Elrod100010
Chamberlin221112


WP—Capaul. Butler. HBP—by Slaats (Ayers), by Allianic (Paine).

Umpires—HP: Chris Thomas, 1B: Pat Riley, 3B: Rick Scarbery. T—2:55. A—206.