Rainbows rally for 9-7 baseball win over Sacramento State
Advertiser Staff
The jet-lagged University of Hawai'i baseball team woke up in time to rally from a 7-0 deficit and beat Sacramento State, 9-7, yesterday at Sacramento, Calif.
The non-conference game was a make-up for a rainout in February during the Rainbows' California road trip.
The Rainbows (23-24) left Hawai'i late Monday night, arrived in San Francisco early yesterday morning, took a two-hour bus ride to Sacramento and arrived at Hornet Field about 4 1/2 hours before game time. And for six innings, they played like they were asleep. Marshall Plouffe held the Rainbows to just one hit as the Hornets took a 7-0 lead.
But the Rainbows got out of their sleep-walk mode in the seventh, scoring four runs off Plouffe. A two-out, two-run double by Arthur Guillen got UH's comeback started. Nate Jackson followed with an infield RBI single. Later, Guillen scored from third before Jackson was tagged out in a rundown between first and second on an attempted steal.
In the eighth, Brian Bock and Lane Nogawa each had two-out, RBI singles off reliever Steve Cuckovich, who was replaced by closer Michael Penbera. Cortland Wilson greeted Penbera with a run-scoring single to center to tie the score at 7.
The Rainbows took the lead in the ninth against Penbera. Jackson reached on an infield single, but was forced out at second on a failed sacrifice attempt by Matthew Purtell.
Gregg Omori then doubled to right and Patrick Scalabrini, a late-game replacement for third baseman Danny Kimura, doubled to center for two runs. Penbera retired Bock on a popout to second and Chad Boudon on a groundout to shortstop.
Bryan Lee (4-2) allowed a hit in two scoreless innings for the Rainbows, while Penbera (0-4) allowed two runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings for the Hornets (19-29).
In order to keep its normal rotation, UH used five relief pitchers. Aaron Pribble started, allowing three runs in two innings. Grant Sato also allowed three runs in two innings. Matt Le Ducq gave up one run in two innings, and William Quaglieri pitched a perfect seventh before yielding to Lee.
The Rainbows head for Nevada for a three-game Western Athletic Conference series starting tomorrow. Game time is noon, Hawai'i time. Jeff Coleman is scheduled to start for UH.
Chad Giannetti is also scheduled to pitch in the series, but the status of Sean Yamashita is unknown. UH acting coach Carl Furutani said Yamashita was having arm problems in his last start, when he lasted just 1 2/3 innings. Quaglieri, who is from Reno, Nev., might get the start.
Also, Scalabrini has been a late-game replacement the last two games because of a strained left wrist that affects his swing.
