The University of Hawai‘i baseball team lost its seventh consecutive Western Athletic Conference game, 7-0, to San Jose State yesterday at Municipal Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
And the forecast does not get better for the Rainbows (7-11, 2-7), who open a three-game series against nationally-ranked Rice Thursday at Rainbow Stadium. Rice, playing at UH-Hilo today and tomorrow, is second in two national rankings and sixth in another.
The Rainbows finished their California road trip 0-6. Their non-conference game at Sacramento State was canceled by rain.
Meanwhile, the Spartans improved to 10-6-1 and 5-3.
For the third straight game, UH’s starting pitcher did not get past the fifth inning. Chad Giannetti (1-3) lasted one-plus inning, allowing five runs, two unearned because of one of two UH errors. The Rainbows have committed 12 errors during the losing streak.
Jeff Coleman, who faced only eight batters in one-third of an inning on Thursday, pitched six scoreless innings for the Rainbows.
However, that was not enough against San Jose State’s Jeremy Rogelstad (1-1), who pitched a nine-hit complete game. He struck out nine and walked one.
The Rainbows adjusted their lineup again. Derek Honma, who batted ninth as a designated hitter Friday, batted in the lead-off spot, but went 0 for 2. Arthur Guillen started in center field for the slumping Matthew Purtell.
Lane Nogawa made his second straight start at shortstop in place of freshman Cortland Wilson and batted 3 for 4.
The only threat the Rainbows mounted was in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with two outs. But Patrick Scalabrini grounded out to first to end it.
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a lead-off walk by Gabe Lopez, double by Ryan Bruckner and, one out later, a sacrifice fly by Brandon Macchi.
In the second, Zach Zwissig singled and John Fagan walked. Kevin Frandsen reached second safely on first baseman Danny Kimura’s throwing error on a sacrifice. With runners at second and third, Fagan scored on a wild pitch and Frandsen took third. Adam Shorsher was hit by a pitch, ending Giannetti’s day and bringing in Coleman.
Lopez squeezed Frandsen in, as Shorsher advanced to second. A groundout to first moved Shorsher to third, from where he scored on Junior Ruiz’s single to left.
The Spartans added two more in the eighth off Aaron Pribble, who replaced Coleman.
Macchi led off with a double and took third on a groundout to first. Adam Montarbo reached first on a fielding error by third baseman Scalabrini, as Macchi held third. But Pribble balked to score Macchi and, after Fagan popped out to second, Frandsen singled home Montarbo.
