UH baseball team loses home finale, falls to 16-34
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Despite a couple of mini-rallies, Hawai'i failed to overcome an early 5-0 deficit in falling to Louisiana Tech, 8-6, last night in losing yet another Western Athletic Conference baseball series.
The Rainbows, who closed to 5-3 and then 7-6 on Senior Night, fell to 16-34, matching the school's all-time high for losses in a season. UH was 22-34 in 1997.
The 'Bows also dropped to 5-19 in the WAC, a half game behind the fifth-place Bulldogs (21-31, 7-20). It is the fifth conference series that the Rainbows have lost two of three games.
"To the end, I thought we were going to pull it off," said Scooter Martines, UH senior co-captain. "Everybody in the dugout thought we were going to pull it off. But that's the game. It's kind of the way our season's been going. I love these guys for keep battling. You gotta love that."
The Rainbows finish their season with six WAC games on the road beginning Friday at Nevada. A Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,709 watched the home finale for 10 seniors: Martines, Gregg Omori, Lane Nogawa, Derek Honma, Matt Le Ducq, Jean-Paul Gauthier, Aaron Pribble, Sean Yamashita, Ryan Yamamoto and Ian Jones.
Hawai'i got off to an inauspicious start as freshman starting pitcher Ricky Bauer (1-7) was tagged for five runs in the fourth inning, when the Bulldogs sent 10 batters to the plate. Kyle Humphreys got it going with a two-run double, followed two outs later by an RBI infield single by Michael Hall, an RBI double by Dan Preaus and an RBI single by Brandon Haygood. Bauer lasted 3á innings, allowing six hits.
Meanwhile, Tech starter Casey Blalock (8-7) yielded three runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Derek Brewster made it interesting by allowing three runs in the final two innings.
Two seniors enjoyed a good night at the plate. Honma had a two-run triple and a double in his final at-bat at home. Omori hit his second home run of the season; his first at home. It was a solo shot to left that ignited a three-run eighth when UH closed to 7-6.
"It felt good to get the home run," Omori said. "I was hitting bad throughout the whole series. But we should've won the game. It would've been a lot better this way, but it's too bad it had to come to an end."
Added Honma: "It's been a tough road the whole year. It's hard to explain the feelings I have right now. It's been great playing with these group of guys. Win or lose. we've gained friendships that will last forever. That's the main part, the bond we've had together all these years."
After Honma's triple made it 5-2, the Rainbows scored once in the fifth on a force by Nogawa.
But Louisiana Tech added two in the top of the eighth on errors by third baseman Danny Mocny and center fielder Brent Cook.
The Rainbows rallied for three runs in the eighth off Brewster. Besides Omori's homer, Mocny added a sacrifice fly and the third run scored on a swinging third strike by Tim Montgomery on a passed ball.
But the Bulldogs added an insurance run in the ninth off Le Ducq on a two-out double by Antonio Sabatini and RBI single by Humphreys.
Brewster retired the Rainbows in order in the ninth.
Cook wished the seniors well.
"It's tough to see 'em go because they've put in so much hard work," he said. "They're a great bunch of guys and I have nothing but respect for them."
