Fresno State turns back Hawai'i, 5-4
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i did not commit any official scoring errors, but made enough mistakes in other areas in a 5-4 loss to Fresno State last night in Western Athletic Conference baseball.
The inability to put away Bulldogs' starter Bob Runyon early, two fly balls lost in the stadium lights and twilight, a runner picked off base and a missed cutoff were some of the reasons the Rainbows (15-28, 4-13 WAC) came up short.
"We just made too many mistakes tonight," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
Runyon (7-7) allowed four runs — three earned — on 11 hits and two walks in notching his seventh complete game of the season to help the Bulldogs (24-22, 12-8) snap a two-game losing skid.
The loss also means the best UH can finish is .500, but that would mean winning the remainder of its 13 games.
Hawai'i had five of its 11 hits in the first two innings, but came away with just two runs. Then the Rainbows went hitless the next four innings.
"I thought we let him settle in," Trapasso said. "I didn't think he had his best stuff. I've seen him before and he's got great stuff. He competed. He outcompeted our guys early on. The story of the game is the middle innings, when we didn't compete offensively for three, four innings."
The Rainbows had Runyon on the ropes in the final two innings, but came away with single runs in the eighth and ninth, including leaving the tying run at first to end the game.
At one stretch, Runyon retired 13 of 14, including picking off Kevin Gilbride to end the third inning.
Fresno State took a 5-3 lead into the ninth. Runyon struck out pinch-hitter Derek Honma, but Lane Nogawa doubled to right and took third on Brent Cook's single to right. With runners at the corners, Nogawa scored on Gregg Omori's sacrifice fly to right for the second out.
Scooter Martines came to the plate representing the winning run, but struck out on a curveball away.
"I noticed he was chasing breaking balls all day long," Runyon said. "(Catcher Brad) Harper and I got together, talked (about) each hitter up in the bottom of the ninth, so we had a plan with each hitter up."
Added Martines: "I pretty much knew it (breaking ball) was coming, but I still couldn't hit it. I have to tip my hat to him."
Runyon entered the ninth having thrown 127 pitches. When he got in trouble in the ninth, FSU coach Bob Bennett paid a visit to his starter.
"He's a battler and he's honest with me when I go and visit him," Bennett said. "I asked him if he still feels strong and he said he feels fine. I thought he still had good stuff. That's why we stayed with him. He's a durable guy."
Runyon ended up throwing 143 pitches.
Meanwhile, Sean Yamashita (2-6) fell victim to his defense. The two misplayed fly balls led to FSU's first run in the second inning. Ben Fritz singled to right on a fly ball that dropped in front of right fielder Gilbride, who lost the ball in the stadium lights, Trapasso said. After a walk and double play left a runner on second, Harper hit a fly to left center, where left fielder Martines and center fielder Tim Montgomery lost the ball in the twilight and it fell between them for an RBI triple.
The Rainbows responded in the bottom of the second with a two-run single by Cook.
But the Rainbows gave them back in the top of the third. With one out, Scott Beshears doubled to center and scored on Chris Patrick's single to center. But Montgomery's throw missed the cutoff man, allowing Patrick to take second. The next batter, Casey McGehee, grounded out to shortstop to move Patrick to third. Trapasso said if the runner was on first, it would have been a double play. But Yamashita balked to allow Patrick to score and make it 3-2.
From there, the Bulldogs tagged on insurance runs in the fifth on an RBI single by McGehee and solo home run by Beshears in the seventh.
The Rainbows scored once in the eighth to pull to 5-3. Martines reached on third baseman McGehee's fielding error and took second on Arthur Guillen's single to left center. But on the play, center fielder Joey Myers bobbled the ball, allowing Martines to take third. Martines then scored on Montgomery's sacrifice fly to left.
Yamashita gave up five runs on nine hits and two walks in eight innings. William Quaglieri pitched a perfect ninth inning.
Notes: Ricky Bauer will pitch for UH and Zach Minor for FSU in today's 1:05 p.m. series finale. Before last night's game, about five bats from each team were invalidated by the umpires for having dents. They were removed from each team's dugout.
