Louisiana Tech handcuffs Hawai'i
Advertiser Staff
University of Hawai'i's offensive woes continued yesterday when it could not support the strong pitching of Ricky Bauer as Louisiana Tech posted a 2-1 victory to take two of three in the Western Athletic Conference baseball series at J.C. Love Field in Ruston, La.
"It's just disappointing," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We really wasted a great effort by Ricky."
Trapasso felt the Rainbows (14-24 overall, 3-9 WAC) should have solved Casey Blalock (6-5), who scattered five hits and two walks in earning his team-leading fourth complete game for the Bulldogs (17-21, 4-11). The only run Blalock allowed came on an eighth-inning, two-out double by Gregg Omori after Brent Cook walked.
"It was a fastball in and slider away," Trapasso said of Blalock's pitching pattern. "We made no adjustment."
The Rainbows left eight runners on base, four in scoring position, and saw one runner picked off. Their biggest threat came in the fifth with two outs, when they loaded the bases on two hit batters and a single. But Blalock got Lane Nogawa on a flyout to escape trouble.
Meanwhile, Bauer (1-4) used 91 pitches for his first complete game of the season, inducing 12 groundouts and eight outs in the air, while striking out four. He didn't walk a batter.
The Bulldogs scored their runs in the third. Bart Dugdale was hit by a pitch to lead off and took second on Brandon Haygood's single to left. After Wade Robinson bounced into a force out at second to put runners at the corners, Michael Hall hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Catcher Brian Bock threw out Hall at first, as Robinson took second and Dugdale held third.
Kyle Humphreys followed with a grounder that was backhanded by shortstop Julian Russell, but his throw bounced away from first baseman Omori. Humphreys was credited with an infield single and RBI as Dugdale scored. Russell was charged with a throwing error as Robinson also scored and Humphreys advanced to second.
"Gregg's got to get off the bag and block that ball," Trapasso said. "But that's not what cost us the game. Our hitting has just been anemic."
It doesn't get easier for the Rainbows, who open a three-game series against conference leader and third-ranked Rice (31-8, 14-1) starting Thursday.
