StarBulletin.com

Hawaii subdues NMSU in 10


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POSTED: Friday, May 14, 2010

Hawaii's second straight extra-inning game ended with a much different result.

Collin Bennett singled in Jeff Van Doornum with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Rainbows a dramatic 11-10 victory over New Mexico State last night in front of a Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,204.

The Rainbows hadn't played since a heart-breaking 8-7 loss in 12 innings to Nevada on May 2. UH's last four games have all been decided by one run, with the Rainbows going 3-1.

Lenny Linsky (1-0) recorded the final two outs in the top of the 10th to record the win. Both teams combined for 29 hits and used a total of 10 pitchers in a game that lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes.

The win moved the Rainbows (24-22, 7-10 Western Athletic Conference) into sole possession of fifth place, while the Aggies (35-17-1, 13-7-1) lost their fifth in a row to fall into a tie for first with Fresno State.

Bennett finished 4-for-6 with three RBIs and Kolten Wong was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored to lead UH.

               

     

 

 

WAC STANDINGS

        CONFERENCE OVERALL

       

       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
 WLTPct.GBTot.
Fresno State1150.68830-20
New Mexico State1371.64335-17-1
Nevada871.5312-1/227-18-1
Louisiana Tech10100.500325-23
Hawaii7100.4124-1/224-22
San Jose State6100.375518-30
Sacramento State5110.312616-29-1

       

       

YESTERDAY
        Hawaii 11, New Mexico State 10, 10 innings

       

TODAY
        New Mexico State at Hawaii (2), 3:35 p.m., Les Murakami Stadium
        Nevada at Sacramento State
        San Jose State at Fresno State

       

TOMORROW
        Nevada at Sacramento State (2)
        San Jose State at Fresno State (2)

       

New Mexico State starter Daniel Simon didn't do himself any favors early on, walking the bases loaded in the first inning. Bennett then dribbled a grounder to the mound, but first baseman Leo Aguirre couldn't corral Simon's throw, allowing two Rainbows to score on the throwing error for a quick 2-0 lead.

Jared Jordan's two-out RBI single in the second cut Hawaii's lead to one, but the Aggies did the real damage in the third. Hawaii starter Josh Slaats began the inning getting Wesley Starkes to ground out, and New Mexico State's next seven batters all reached base.

Ryan Aguyao got things going with a double and scored three batters later on a bases-loaded single by Chace Perkins. Joel Cardinal drew a walk to drive in a run and Slaats threw two consecutive balls to Parker Hipp before Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso pulled him.

Alex Capaul inherited the 2-0 count and allowed an RBI single to Hipp that bounced off the glove of a diving Sean Montplaisir in left for a single. Jordan then blooped a two-run single to center and NMSU took a 6-2 lead.

UH came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning on a a two-out RBI single by David Freitas.

The NMSU offense would continue to pound away though, putting up two more runs in the fourth. Aguirre smacked a run-scoring double to right-center and Perkins smoked a ground ball down the first-base line for an RBI double to score Aguirre to make it 8-3.

The Rainbows worked Simon's pitch count into the mid-90s by the top of the fifth, forcing Aggies coach Rocky Ward to make a change after Pi'ikea Kitamura drew his second walk to lead off. Adam Heredia came on in relief and wasn't effective, throwing two wild pitches and walking Van Doornum to put men on second and third with no outs. Freitas scored Kitamura on a sacrifice fly and Greg Garcia lined an RBI single off of Daniel Reyes to score Van Doornum to make it 8-6.

After a 1-2-3 inning by Capaul in the sixth, a rarity in the game, UH crawled even with a two-out rally. Montplaisir singled and Wong doubled to right-center, which Starkes bobbled, giving Montplaisir a chance to score. The relay throw home beat Montplaisir, but the umpire called the runner safe, saying Jordan, the NMSU catcher, was illegally blocking the plate.

Scott Coffman became the fourth Aggies pitcher of the game and was greeted by a bloop single from Kitamura to score Wong with the game-tying run.

Ward pushed the right buttons in the top of the seventh, pinch-hitting for Jordan with Zac Fisher. Fisher needed all of one pitch from Capaul to smash a two-run homer over the right-field wall to allow NMSU to retake the lead at 10-8.

UH scored for the fifth consecutive inning to cut the lead to one as Bennett ripped a groundball past Hipp at second to score Garcia, who doubled with one out. Macdonald followed with a single to put runners at the corners, but Coffman got Montplaisir to fly out to the warning track in dead center to preserve the lead.

Blair Walters threw a scoreless eighth inning and Hawaii tied the game at 10 on an infield RBI single by Bennett with the bases loaded. Wong led off with a single, and back-to-back walks by Freitas and Garcia put three men on for Bennett, who grounded a ball up the middle for a hit. Hipp made a diving stop to keep the ball from going to the outfield and then gunned out Freitas at the plate trying to score.

The series continues with a doubleheader today beginning at 3:35 p.m.