Rainbows' rally stings Hornets, 5-4

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's Schafer Magana is welcomed after scoring in the third. Later, Magana singled in the go-ahead run. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Schafer Magana's RBI single with one out in the bottom of the eighth scored Andrew Sansaver with the go-ahead run. Sansaver had tied the score with a double that scored Jaziel Mendoza, who led with a double.

The Rainbows (20-12) salvaged a split of the two-game series, a night after suffering a 6-3 loss in a game delayed by two power outages. The Hornets fell to 20-20.

"It was a big win for us," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "I felt we really needed a win tonight, going into it the way we played (Tuesday) night. The way we were able to win it, by really playing well defensively, getting a couple of big hits to push across two runs."

In a role reversal, Ricky Bauer (6-2) pitched four innings of scoreless relief, allowing a hit and an intentional walk with three strikeouts in front of 736. It was his first relief appearance of the season.

"He's our weekend guy, but we needed him to come in and do what he did," Trapasso said.

Said Bauer: "Coming in with runners on base, I wasn't used to that, coming in and working out of the stretch right away. I did it once my freshman year, but I guess I didn't get used to it because I let two (runs) come in."

Bauer came in for starter Steven Wright, who went five-plus innings. He was charged with four runs on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. It was Wright's first start since March 5, when he pitched five innings in a win against Chicago State.

"I thought as far as just his stuff, he was more consistent today with his command down in the zone," Trapasso said. "He was throwing his pitches for strikes."

With the score 2-2, Wright hit Brian Blauser to start the sixth and gave up a single to Jack Arroyo. Bauer came in to face Andy Hnilo, whose sacrifice advanced the runners. After running a 3-0 count to Bret LeVier, Bauer intentionally walked him to load the bases.

Pedro Santiago singled in one run to reload the bases and Buddy Morales grounded to shortstop for a force at second that gave CSUS a 4-2 lead. With the force, Bauer retired the next 11 batters to give his team a chance to rally.

Hornets starter Warren Rosenbrock (4-5) kept the Rainbows in check until the eighth. He was charged with five runs on 10 hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 7¡ innings. But he made the UH offense take chances.

Down 2-0, UH tied the score in the bottom of the third with some aggressive base running by Brian Finegan. Magana led off by reaching on an infield single, took second on a sacrifice by Robbie Wilder, went to third on a balk and scored on Finegan's single to left. Greg Kish lined a single to right and Finegan made a mad dash for third, barely beating the throw.

"We had to get something going," Finegan said. "I knew I had to get to third, make it easier for Matt (Inouye)."

Inouye responded with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 2-2.

The Hornets scored twice in the sixth, but UH closed to 4-3 on Isaac Omura's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

In UH's eighth, Mendoza led off with a double off the center-field wall, took third when Kahoali'i grounded out to short and scored on Sansaver's double to chase Rosebrock. Left-hander Mick Joyce came in and got the left-handed hitting Omura to fly to right. Then right-hander Andy Mohr was summoned to face the right-handed hitting Magana.

Trapasso said he considered pinch-hitting with the left-handed hitting Josh Green, but remembered Magana's clutch hits in Sunday's win against San Jose State.

"I just felt he was the guy to stay in there," Trapasso said.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.