Oregon State batters Hawai'i, 18-7
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i failed in nearly all phases of a baseball game — pitching, fielding and base running — as reflected in an 18-7 loss to Oregon State last night.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
A Rainbow Stadium crowd of 1,462 weathered intermittent passing showers and the most runs allowed by the Rainbows this season. The previous high was in a 16-3 loss to UCLA on Feb. 2.
Hawaiëi second baseman Lane Nogawa fields a ball in the second inning of last night's game against Oregon State University at Rainbow Stadium. Nogawa threw out the OSU baserunner for the second out of the inning.
UH starter Sean Yamashita (2-8) lasted just 1 1/3 innings, his second shortest outing of the season. He allowed six runs. Two of the four relievers who followed didn't fare any better. Matt Le Ducq allowed three runs in one-plus innings and Grant Sato gave up seven in 3 2/3 innings.
The Rainbows tied a season-high by committing five errors, four alone by shortstop Matthew Purtell. That was one shy of the team record set in 1986 by third baseman Mark McWherter. But the two unearned runs charged to William Quaglieri were a result of an error by third baseman Patrick Scalabrini.
Trailing 6-2, the Rainbows had a runner caught stealing after breaking for second too early.
It wasn't a total bust for the Rainbows (21-24). Reserve catcher Ryan Anderson hit a pinch-hit three-run home run and Gregg Omori batted 3-for-5, including his eighth home run of the season.
The Beavers (28-17) rapped out 21 hits. Every starter had at least one hit, and eight of the nine either scored at least once or drove in at least one run.
Designated hitter Curtis Davis batted 4-for-7 with five RBIs. His three-run home run in the second inning put the Beavers up 6-1.
Right fielder Josh Carter also was 4-for-7, while Brian Barden and Andy Jarvis each had three hits for OSU.
Scott Nicholson (9-2), who benefitted from the run support, pitched a complete game, allowing seven runs, 11 hits and a walk, while striking out eight.
Oregon State batted around in the first inning against Yamashita, scoring three runs on RBI singles by Barden, Davis and Jarvis. It could have been worse, as the Beavers left the bases loaded. But it didn't matter, as Davis' two out, three-run home run in the second put the Beavers up 6-1. After Purtell's first error of the game and an infield single, Yamashita was replaced by Quaglieri.
The Rainbows managed a run in the second on an RBI single by Jacob Flick, only to see the Beavers get two unearned runs in the fourth inning. They cut their deficit to 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth on Lane Nogawa's two-run double.
But the Beavers came back with a three-run sixth. Two of those runs scored on bases-loaded walks by Sato.
They got another in the eighth when Will Hudson scored from second base on a wild pitch by Sato.
The Rainbows put in a mild protest with Anderson's three-run homer, but the Beavers sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run ninth.
The series, even at 1, concludes at 2:05 p.m. today.
Chad Giannetti (3-4, 5.20 ERA) will pitch for UH.
