Baseball 'Bows edge Hilo, 5-3
Advertiser Staff
Tim Montgomery homered to lead off the 10th inning as the University of Hawai'i rallied past Hawai'i-Hilo, 5-3, yesterday in the Vulcans' final home game of the baseball season at Wong Stadium.
The Rainbows (26-27, 13-20 Western Athletic Conference), who trailed 3-2 after eight innings, sustained their hopes of a winning season. They need to sweep UHH at Rainbow Stadium starting Thursday. The Vulcans (5-42, 3-30) have lost 17 straight.
Montgomery's homer, his second of the season, came off reliever Shaun Suzuki (1-1). The Rainbows had tied the score when Lane Nogawa drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth against UHH starter Robert Shimabuku.
Bryan Lee (5-2) pitched two perfect innings of relief for starter Sean Yamashita.
The game was a pitchers' duel by two unlikely starters. Yamashita entered with a 2-9 record and a 5.97 earned run average, while Shimabuku was 1-10 with a 9.87 ERA.
The Vulcans tagged Yamashita for three runs in the first inning. An error by second baseman Nogawa allowed the first run and kept the inning alive long enough for Billy Rayl to hit a two-run single. Yamashita settled down after that, working eight innings and allowing seven hits. He struck out seven.
After a perfect first, Shimabuku gave up a single to Patrick Scalabrini to start the second and a two-run home run to Danny Kimura. Shimabuku regrouped, retiring 10 consecutive Rainbows at one stretch, before faltering in the ninth.
With one out, Gregg Omori doubled and stayed at second when third baseman Johnny Dudoit committed a fielding error to allow Scalabrini to reach first. Kimura was hit by a pitch to load the bases for pinch-hitter Aaron Pribble, who struck out. But Nogawa walked to tie the score before Brian Bock grounded into a force at third base to end the inning.
Shimabuku left after allowing three runs (two earned), seven hits and two walks. He had 10 strikeouts.
Suzuki started the 10th inning by giving up Montgomery's homer. After Nate Jackson grounded out, Matthew Purtell singled and stole second. Omori was intentionally walked. After starting Scalabrini off with a 2-0 count, Suzuki was lifted for reliever Sergio Reyes, who threw two balls to walk Scalabrini. Kimura then grounded into a force at second to score the insurance run before pinch-hitter Kevin Gilbride flied out to left to end the inning.
