UH baseball sweeps away Bruins

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Literally sick and tired of the thought of catching a 31st consecutive inning in three days, Brian Bock drilled a solo home run to start the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Hawai'i over UCLA, 8-7, yesterday to complete a three-game collegiate baseball series sweep.

University of Hawai'i catcher Brian Bock blasted a pitch off UCLA relief pitcher Mike Castillo for a home runin the bottom of the 10th inning. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Bock began the day with a fever and was questionable right up to game time, UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

"I just basically didn't want to go out there one more time," joked Bock, who hit a 2-1 low, inside fastball over the left-center field wall off right-handed reliever Mike Castillo (0-1) to end the second consecutive extra-inning contest. The teams played 11 innings Saturday.

"That pitch, it had to be right where I wanted it or I'm going to take it," said Bock. "I was just looking for a fastball inside, something I could drive to the gap. I wasn't expecting to hit it out."

Added Trapasso: "It's just a testament to these kids, how tough they've been these past three games."

Left-handed reliever Matt Le Ducq (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief. He escaped jams in the eighth and ninth innings, stranding five runners before pitching a perfect 10th to set the stage for Bock.

"I just about gave myself a heart attack," said Le Ducq, who allowed three hits and two walks.

The game began with right-handed freshmen for each team. Neither got past the third inning.

The Rainbows chased UCLA starter Kyle Wilson after two-plus innings. He started the game by hitting Arthur Guillen with a pitch. After Guillen stole second, he scored on Brent Cook's single to right, his 10th hit in 11 at-bats in the series. (He went 3-for-4 yesterday, to finish 12-for-14 in the series.)

In the second, Wilson walked the bases loaded, but the Rainbows managed only a run on Chad Boudon's sacrifice fly to left to give UH a 2-0 lead.

Brian Bock is congratulated by teammates after his game-winning homer. "I wasn't expecting to hit it out," Bock said. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i chased Wilson in the third. After he gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases, he got Cortland Wilson to bounce into a force at home. But Kevin Gilbride's pop double that bounced in front of left fielder Matt Thayer cleared the bases to give UH a 5-4 lead.

The Rainbows padded their lead with a run in the fifth when Scooter Martines led off with a double to left, and, two outs later, scored on Lane Nogawa's single to center to make it 6-4.

But the Bruins tied the game in the sixth when Francisco ripped a two-run home run to right off UH reliever Sean Yamashita.

Hawai'i regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth. With two out, Cook singled to center and scored on Gregg Omori's double to center.

The Bruins tied the game again in the seventh. Susdorf led off with a single and stole second. After Kevin Conlin struck out, pinch-hitter Chris Jensen singled to left to put runners at the corners. Ryan McCarthy's sacrifice fly scored Susdorf .

On Saturday, the Rainbows won despite six errors. Yesterday, they won despite allowing 17 hits and four walks. While the overall pitching wasn't sharp, it was good enough to give the Rainbows a chance to win. Bauer allowed four runs in 2á innings; Yamashita gave up three in 4¡ of relief. Even Le Ducq's perfect 10th wasn't routine. Casey Janssen sent left fielder Boudon some 350 feet to haul in a fly ball. Cook snagged a hard grounder by Susdorf to end the inning.

"Every time we were in trouble, we were able to get out," Trapasso said. "We were able to get the out when we had to because we made some pretty good defensive plays. Cort (Wilson) made one to end an inning and Cookie (Cook), the play he made just to end the 10th inning was big for us because it got us to the plate."

The Rainbows play Brigham Young (3-10) in a three-game series Thursday through Saturday.

HAWAI'I-HILO

• Vulcans win: The University of Hawai'i-Hilo baseball team earned a split of a four-game series with Pepperdine yesterday, beating the Waves, 8-2, at Old Kona Airport Field.

The Vulcans' Darren Chu batted 2-for-5 with a double, homer and five RBIs, and Jason Castro picked up the win with four scoreless innings of relief.

Hilo (3-22-1) broke the game open with two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth.

Kamehameha Schools graduate Duke Sardinha batted 3-for-5 with a double for Pepperdine (5-6).

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