Rainbows beat Fresno State, 5-4, in 10 innings

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

If there was a comeback player of the year award in the Western Athletic Conference, Hawai'i pitcher Wakon Childers should win it.

Hawai'i shortstop Cortland Wilson is batting .379, but he committed three errors yesterday. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Danny Kimura's two-out, bases-loaded single scored Tim Montgomery with the winning run as the Rainbows (17-19, 7-13 Western Athletic Conference) evened their series with the Bulldogs (24-16, 8-9) at one game apiece.

The right-handed Childers gave the Rainbows another strong outing. But a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand caused him to throw a wild pitch that scored the tying run in the eighth inning.

"I was thinking about it and I really pulled it too hard," Childers said of how the blister affected the pitch.

Childers overcame three errors — all by shortstop Cortland Wilson — in 7 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs, but only two earned, six hits and four walks, while striking out five.

It was another big step for Childers, who missed the 2000 season after elbow surgery. His teammates knew it and found a way to pull out a victory as they had in his previous outing during the Easter Tournament.

"Wakon is a workhorse," Kimura said. "He just goes out there and gives it his all. It rubs off on the team."

Added Childers: "I don't think I've ever played for a team that never gave up like these guys. I love to see these guys fighting, fighting. It makes me want to go out there and fight harder for them."

As with his previous outing, Childers didn't get the decision. Bryan Lee (3-2) allowed a hit in 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the win.

After being blanked for three innings against FSU reliever Nick Moran (2-4), the Rainbows finally got to him in the 10th.

Montgomery led off with a bloop single to right and Matthew Purtell walked. Wilson showed bunt on Moran's first offering, but took the pitch. With the Bulldogs' infield looking for a bunt, the Rainbows called for a hit-and-run. Moran's pitch was low and away. Wilson, whose job was to protect the runners by making contact, chased and missed the pitch, but Montgomery and Purtell safely advanced for a double steal.

"I was just trying to get a decent jump in case he got a bad pitch," Montgomery said. "That way I'd still have a good shot at it (the steal)."

After Moran struck out Wilson, he intentionally walked Gregg Omori to load the bases and set up a double play.

The runners had to hold when Patrick Scalabrini flied out to shallow left.

On a 1-1 pitch, Kimura drilled a single to left to score Montgomery.

"We needed this win against them," Montgomery said. "We haven't done great against them the previous four games. Hopefully, we can win the series tomorrow."

In Fresno in late February, the Bulldogs swept the Rainbows.

Meanwhile, Wilson continued his hot hitting and errant throwing. He was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and raised his batting average to .379. While two of his errors did not factor in the scoring, the other led to two unearned runs.

The series concludes at 6:35 tonight. Sean Yamashita (2-4) will pitch for the Rainbows.

Warm-ups tosses: UHPA members manned entrances to the lower campus, but were not blocking them. Instead, they handed out flyers explaining their stand in the labor dispute.