Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Hawai'i right fielder Josh Green gives it the old college try but it isn't enough to prevent a triple by Wichita State's Cody Clark in the Shockers' three-run eighth inning.
Shockers edge 'Bows, 6-4
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
It might have been Sunday, but class was in session for the University of Hawai'i baseball team.
But the lessons came at the cost of a 6-4 loss to Wichita State yesterday before 1,736 at Les Murakami Stadium.
It was the second consecutive loss for the Rainbows (7-3) — their first losing streak of the season — who rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the score in the seventh, only to give the runs back in the eighth to the Shockers (9-1), ranked 27th by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
"It's a disappointment, but it's good if you lose to be in the game," UH senior catcher Brian Bock said. "We didn't get blown out. We learned a lot. Sometimes when you're winning you don't learn the things that you should, so this is a good learning experience for us. It's still early in the season and we're 7 and 3. It's a not-bad start. We just have to take the positives out of here."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Shockers scored the go-ahead run on a one-out, double steal when Bock's throw to third was a little wide of third baseman Rocky Russo and bounced into left field, allowing Nick Blasi to score. The steals were the seventh and eighth of the series by the Shockers.
Keahi Rawlins pitched shutout ball for four innings while UH rallied to tie the score in the seventh. However, Rawlins faltered in the eighth.
"I just threw the ball a little wide to the right in the dirt," Bock said. "That was a big turning point right there. It gave them a run."
Besides learning that they have to stop the opposition from running on them, the Rainbows are learning more about freshman Keahi Rawlins (0-1). He pitched four scoreless innings — during which UH's three-run seventh tied the score — before faltering in the eighth. After retiring the first batter, Rawlins hit Blasi on an 0-1 fastball before walking Brandon Green on four pitches.
"After I hit the batter, I felt like I was trying to guide the ball, instead of pitching (it), so I didn't have anything on it," Rawlins explained.
Rawlins admitted he felt the pressure of the close game. His second appearance of the season was his longest at 4¡ innings; he pitched four innings in his starting debut Feb. 11 against UH-Hilo.
"I was kind of pressured because my team scored and I felt I had to get a zero up there on the board," he said.
Rawlins was lifted for senior Bryan Lee. On a 1-1 pitch to Drew Moffitt, the Shockers executed the double steal — leading to the ensuing error that allowed the tie-breaking run to score. Although Green held second on the play, he eventually took third on Moffitt's ground out to second. Cody Clark then lined a triple past diving right fielder Josh Green to score Brandon Green. Clark then scored on Phil Napolitan's infield single to shortstop to make it 6-3.
Still, Rawlins' outing was a bright spot.
"He started feeling the scoreboard pressure a little bit, which is really to be expected and he probably got tired, too, because he hadn't pitched in a week and a half," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "He kept us in, he gave us a chance."
Meanwhile, Ricky Bauer has lasted a combined 4á innings his last two starts after going six in winning his first start of the season against UCLA.
"We'll take a look at that," Trapasso said. "I still have faith in Ricky. Ricky's going to be an integral part of our pitching staff, whatever role that is. He's just had a couple of bad games where he can't get the ball down ... he doesn't have command of his fastball."
The Shockers tagged Bauer for three runs in the second inning on a two-run single by J.R. DiMercurio and later, an RBI ground out to first by Kenny Waddell. A diving stab by first baseman Andrew Sansaver on the play saved another run from scoring.
Rawlins restored order when he retired 15 of his first 17 batters to counter WSU starter Mike Pelfrey, who had blanked UH on four hits through six innings on 85 pitches. WSU coach Gene Stephenson said his pitchers were on pitch counts because it is early in the season.
But relievers Noah Booth and David Sanders could not protect Pelfrey's lead. With one out in the seventh, Booth walked Bock and Tim Montgomery. Sanders came in and struck out Tyler Wightman, but Schafer Magana grounded a two-run double down the left-field line and scored on Brian Finegan's line double to left to tie it at 3-3. (Finegan's infield single in the sixth inning extended his hitting streak to 10 games.)
Jereme Foster (2-0) got the final out of the inning, then benefited from the three-run rally in the top of the eighth. He allowed a two-out walk to Finegan and an RBI double to Brent Cook in the ninth, but struck out Josh Green to snuff UH's attempted rally.
The Rainbows' second mid-week game of the season is Wednesday against Division II Hawai'i Pacific (4-8). Game time is 6:05 p.m.
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