BYU stops Hawai'i's 3-game winning streak, 7-6

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jeff Mousser pitched five scoreless innings of relief against passionless Hawai'i to help Brigham Young to a 7-6 collegiate baseball victory last night.

The Rainbows (5-6) managed just two hits in the final six innings, stranding nine runners in all, seven in the last five innings in front of a loyal Les Murakami Stadium following of 795, who sacrificed watching a thrilling UH basketball victory about 200 yards away.

The Cougars (4-10), formerly of the Western Athletic Conference and this year's favorite in the Mountain West, snapped UH's modest three-game winning streak.

"Their guy just beat us," UH coach Mike Trapasso said of Mousser.

"We were very flat in all phases. We didn't come out with any passion or intensity. When we do that, we get beat."

Mousser (2-1) allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out six, including the side in the bottom of the ninth to seal it for the Cougars.

A two-out, soft line single to center by Dave Jensen scored Rob Itri from second to break a 6-all game in the top of the seventh inning against UH reliever William Quaglieri (1-2).

Indications of a poor performance came early for the Rainbows, as starter Bryan Lee had his shortest outing, lasting three innings, allowing five earned runs.

"I just didn't have it today," Lee said. "I was all over the place. It was just a bad outing."

Trapasso said Lee had no command of his pitches, leaving them high.

"That's his forte, down in the zone," Trapasso said. "When he's good, he just never misses up in the zone. He couldn't get the ball down in the zone. Usually, he'll have command of three pitches. Today, he didn't have command of his fastball. Without fastball command, you're going to get in trouble."

A two-out, two-run home run by Itri in the first inning on a 1-2 count was a tell tale sign. A three-run third inning that included a wild pitch that scored a run, as well as an RBI double by Jensen and RBI single by Jake Stubblefield gave BYU a 5-2 lead and spelled the end for Lee after he got the final out.

The Rainbows managed a two-run home run by Brian Bock to tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the second inning off BYU starter Jeff Stone. They got four in the third on an RBI single by Scooter Martines and RBI ground out to third by Chad Boudon. The other two runs scored on third baseman Kainoa Obrey's throwing error that gave UH a 6-5 lead.

But the Cougars tied it at 6 in the fourth against Quaglieri when Ranger Wiens led off with a double to left-center and scored on Doug Jackson's single to center.

Meanwhile, Mousser blanked the Rainbows the rest of the game. Two walks and an error loaded the bases in the seventh, but Mousser came out unscathed. He also stranded runners at the corners in the eighth.

"Mousser's got good stuff," BYU coach Vance Law said. "He's actually threatening to break into the rotation. But he's very valuable out of the pen. He can be a short guy or he can give us innings in the middle as well."