No. 2 Seminoles beat 'Bows, 8-5

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

UH freshman Ricky Bauer was chased after 2 2/3 innings in his first collegiate start. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Fully loaded Florida State avenged a ninth-inning loss the night before with a 16-hit attack in holding off Hawai'i, 8-5, last night in collegiate baseball at Les Murakami Stadium.

A crowd of 1,187 watched the Seminoles (4-1), ranked second in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, hack at freshman Ricky Bauer (0-1) for four runs and eight hits — four of them on 0-2 counts — in 2á innings.

Three starters suspended from Wednesday's game for breaking team rules returned to the lineup last night and combined for six hits.

"We're a different ball club with those guys in the lineup," FSU coach Mike Martin said of first baseman Ryan Barthelemy (2 for 5), left fielder Tony McQuade (3 for 5) and designated hitter Michael Futrell (1 for 4).

But it was the No. 9 batter, Jeff Probst, who did most of the damage, batting 4 for 5 with three RBIs, both career highs.

The Rainbows (1-1), who rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth in Wednesday night's opener, fell short, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth, while stranding runners in scoring position.

"We figured they were never going to die," Probst said of UH's tenacity.

But the Rainbows inflicted their own wounds. Bauer performed coach Mike Trapasso's philosophy of forcing contact to near perfection, attaining two strikes within the first three pitches or having the ball put in play in the same span on 17 of the 18 batters he faced.

Already trailing 2-0 entering the third inning, Bauer ran 0-2 counts on all six batters he faced, but allowed four hits, including an RBI single by McQuade and an RBI-double by Probst.

"We were aggressive getting 0-2, but what we didn't do was throw the same way to get to 0-2," Trapasso said.

Bauer threw 62 pitches, 49 for strikes.

Sean Yamashita pitched four innings, allowing two runs and Matt Le Ducq pitched 1¡ scoreless innings, as the Seminoles took a 6-3 lead into the top of the ninth.

Chris George, who arrived here Saturday after completing a final at a junior college to become eligible this season, gave up two runs that might have been prevented. With runners at first and second with two out, Probst hit a fly to center for a two-run triple. Rainbows center fielder Arthur Guillen broke in, then realized the ball was going to sail over him.

"I misjudged it pretty bad," Guillen said. "It was routine. I should've had it."

Meanwhile, FSU starter Marc LaMacchia (1-0) practiced forced contact (15 of 21 batters faced) in his five innings, which he allowed one runs, five hits a walk with six strikeouts.

But the relievers weren't as successful. Daniel Davidson allowed two runs in three innings and Kevin Lynch two in one, the ninth.

Trailing 6-1 after 5 1/2 innings, the Rainbows got single runs off Davidson in the sixth on an RBI double by Brian Bock (2 for 5), and in the seventh on an RBI single by Gregg Omori.

Trailing 8-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, the Rainbows scored twice off Lynch. An error by second baseman Probst brought in one run and Scooter Martines' single drove in the other. But Lynch retired Cortland Wilson and Bock on ground outs to prevent a UH comeback.

Lane Nogawa, the No. 9 hitter, led UH with three hits.

The series continues at 6:35 tonight. Ryan Yamamoto will start for UH against FSU's Matt Lynch. Both are left-handers.

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