San Jose State tips Hawai'i in 10th
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
No second-guessing here.
Hawai'i coach Mike Trapasso admitted he left starting pitcher Ricky Bauer in one batter too long, and it eventually cost the Rainbows in a 5-4 Western Athletic Conference baseball loss in 10 innings to San Jose State last night before 1,354 at Les Murakami Stadium.
The win evened the Spartans' WAC record at 5-5 (15-12-1 overall) and moved them past the Rainbows (3-4, 17-11) for second place, four games behind conference leader Rice (9-1, 21-6), a 16-1 winner at Nevada yesterday.
After UH took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Bauer, who has not won his last three decisions, struggled with his control. With one out in the eighth, he walked Ryan Angel before getting Anthony Contreras on a fly to left. Then he hit Kevin Frandsen with a pitch on a 3-0 count. After a visit by pitching coach Chad Konishi, Bauer was left in to face Brandon Fromm, who walked after a 3-1 count to load the bases. It was the first time Bauer walked more than one in a game this season. He had walked four in 53¡ innings before last night.
Closer Darrell Fisherbaugh got two strikes on Nathan Corrick, who then lined a two-run single to left to tie the game at 4.
"It was not a good pitch on 0-2," Trapasso said. "He just hung a change. But I give credit to Corrick because Fish (Fisherbaugh) should've been in there to face Fromm. It was stupid on my part to walk the bases loaded. There's no way I should've left him (Bauer) in there. I blame myself for that."
The Spartans won it in the 10th on another hit off an 0-2 pitch. With one out, Contreras walked and Frandsen singled to left to put runners at first and second against Fisherbaugh. Fromm lined an RBI single to right to give the Spartans the lead before Corrick grounded into an inning-ending double play to third.
"Hawai'i's pitching was excellent, so our hitters do deserve some credit in the crunch time," said SJSU coach Sam Piraro.
The Rainbows had a chance in the bottom of the 10th against closer Brad Kilby, a left-hander.
Isaac Omura walked to start the inning and was lifted for pinch runner Schafer Magana, who advanced to second on Brian Finegan's sacrifice. But Greg Kish's 12-game hitting streak was stopped when he grounded out to shortstop, as Magana took third.
Piraro visited Kilby and returned to the dugout still contemplating an intentional walk to Matt Inouye (2 for 3 with 2 RBIs), who represented the winning run. Inouye was given the free pass, but the left-handed hitting Robbie Wilder, who entered the game as a defensive replacement after UH pinch-hit Jaziel Mendoza for Creighton Kahoali'i in the ninth, lined out to first to end the game.
"I went to the mound, said 'I'm thinking about doing this, so don't be surprised. But I'm going to walk off the mound and give it some more thought.' " Piraro said. "Of course the risk was Inouye stealing second base, then we'd have problems. I considered that. But I felt Kilby has been good against left-handed hitters all year. Sometimes you get a gut feeling and you learn to live with that. We were fortunate."
It was give-and-take all night between the teams' aces. Bauer fell victim to first baseman Andrew Sansaver's throwing error that gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead in the third. Both runs were unearned.
But the Rainbows got Sansaver off the hook on Inouye's two-run single off SJSU starter Matt Durkin to tie the game at 2.
The Spartans threatened in the seventh with the aid of UH's second error in the game. Corrick doubled to center and took third when center fielder Inouye could not come up with the ball cleanly. With the infield drawn in, Travis Becktel grounded out to short, holding Corrick. Joshua Lansford reached on an infield single off third baseman Rocky Russo that also held Corrick. Mark Bautista tried to squeeze the run home, but popped it up with Bauer making a diving catch. Bauer looked to third, where no was covering because of the bunt, but found shortstop Finegan alertly covering first to complete the double play.
In the bottom of the seventh, Durking got Sansaver on a grounder to retire his 12th Rainbow in a row before hitting Nate Thurber with a pitch. After striking out Kahoali'i, Omura's hit-and-run single to left put runners at the corners to set up Finegan's two-run double to right-center, giving UH a 4-2 lead.
Bauer was charged with four runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 7á innings. Fisherbaugh (0-2) allowed a run on three hits and a walk in 2¡ innings. It was his first blown save of the season.
Durkin (5-2), a preseason All-America selection, allowed four runs on six hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in nine innings. Kilby notched his third save.
The series continues at 6:35 tonight. Stephen Bryant (3-2) will start for UH against SJSU's Corey Cabral (4-3).
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
