Omori, Kimura, Bock hit homers to back Coleman's pitching
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i got its first road win of the season by blasting Texas Christian, 13-4, yesterday in Western Athletic Conference baseball at TCU Diamond in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Rainbows (18-20, 8-14 WAC) secured their first victory away from Rainbow Stadium. They were swept at Fresno State and San Jose State earlier this season. The win also is an improvement against the Horned Frogs (23-17, 13-8), who swept three games at UH on March 17-19.
"We were more ready this time," UH acting coach Carl Furutani said. "We knew what to expect. We adjusted pretty good."
Gregg Omori hit his team-leading seventh home run to ignite the Rainbows' 14-hit assault, which included eight extra base hits. Danny Kimura and Brian Bock hit their first homers of the season. Omori, Patrick Scalabrini, Bock, Tim Montgomery and Arthur Guillen had doubles to account for the other extra-base hits.
The Rainbows also stole four bases, three by Scalabrini, who has been successful in 15 of 16 tries.
Jeff Coleman (4-5) gave up four runs (three earned), 12 hits and a walk in eight innings, throwing a season-high 148 pitches. He had seven strikeouts. Bryan Lee pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a hit and walk.
"When you play at TCU, no game is really safe," Furutani explained about using Coleman for eight innings, even though his pitch count was high. "He toughed it out real well."
TCU starter Chris Bradshaw (6-4), who entered the game with a 3.43 earned run average, pitched five-plus innings, allowing five runs (four earned), seven hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Relievers Clayton Jerome (one-plus inning) and Josh Gardner (three innings) each allowed three runs.
With a brisk wind blowing out to left field, the Rainbows wasted little time with the assist from nature. With two out, Omori homered to left in the first inning. After Scalabrini doubled to left, Kimura drove him home with a single to center to give UH a 2-0 lead.
Although TCU came back with a run in the first, UH kept scoring, adding one in the second on a one-out throwing error by pitcher Bradshaw and another run in the fifth on Omori's RBI double.
TCU closed to 4-2 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rainbows blew the game open with three runs in the sixth to chase Bradshaw, and two in the seventh on solo home runs by Kimura and Bock. It was Kimura's first official homer. He homered against Kita-Kyushu in the Easter Tournament, but that game was considered an exhibition, thus nullifying all stats. It also was the first for Bock, who batted 4-for-5 and scored four times.
Coleman had problems in the seventh, when he allowed two runs. But one was unearned because of his own throwing error on a sacrifice by Rudy Ontiveros.
Nate Jackson, who missed most of the season recovering from foot surgery related to a football injury, was a late-inning defensive replacement in left field. He batted 1-for-2 and scored once.
"At TCU's field, you need to play defense," Furutani said. "We brought him for that purpose."
• SHORT HOPS: The series continues today. The game will aired live on KCCN 1420 AM starting at 9:45 a.m, some two hours earlier than scheduled. TCU wanted to accommodate fans who wanted to attend Easter services in the morning. ... Right-hander Sean Yamashita (2-5, 5.23) will pitch for UH against left-hander Justin Crowder (4-3, 3.92). Crowder allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6á innings in a 13-3 win against UH on March 18. Yamashita lasted only two-plus innings, allowing six runs, in his last start against Fresno State.
UH-HILO
• Fresno State tips Hilo: Brad Harper broke a 5-all tie with an RBI double and Fresno State added another run in the top of the 10th inning to defeat Hawai'i-Hilo, 7-5, yesterday in a Western Athletic Conference game at Wong Stadium in Hilo.
Jason Kaneshiro drove in two runs with RBI double in the third and a run-scoring single in the fifth to help Hilo to a 5-0 lead.
Fresno State improved to 28-16, 12-9. UHH fell to 5-29, 3-19.
Friday's game: Oscar Lopez went 5-for-5 with two RBIs, as the Bulldogs pounded out 20 hits en route to a 15-2 win over the Vulcans Friday at Wong Stadium.
The Bulldogs rampage started in the top of the second inning as they scored seven runs, on six hits. Brandon Gemoll and Josh Labandeira had three hits apiece, Gemoll also had four RBIs for Fresno State.
HAWAI'I PACIFIC
• San Jose State routs HPU: Ryan Adams went 5-for-5 with two RBIs, and Gabe Lopez and Kevin Frandsen had three hits apiece, powering San Jose State to a 27-3 rout of Hawai'i Pacific yesterday at Blethen Field in San Jose, Calif.
Zack Zwissig hit a three-run homer and John Fagon a solo shot as the Spartans (20-15-1), of the Western Athletic Conference, amassed 30 hits. HPU fell to 18-24.
