Posted on: Friday, March 26, 2004
Walk on wide side costly against LaTech
| • | Game statistics |
Advertiser Staff
The team that thrives on control lost it when it mattered most.
Bacle's game-winning hit came after UH (1-3 WAC, 15-10 overall) allowed three walks to load the bases. The Rainbows entered the game leading the WAC by averaging 2.97 walks allowed per game.
"You hate to give away a game like that because we can't throw strikes," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "It was so uncharacteristic of our staff to have three walks in one inning. That was a tough one."
Hawai'i forced extra innings on Nate Thurber's lead-off home run in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 6. It came after the Bulldogs (2-2, 11-16) snapped a 5-all game in the eighth when Jeremy Alford tripled with one out against Guy McDowell, who had shut down the Bulldogs after starter Ricky Bauer was chased after giving up five runs in 3¡ innings. McDowell allowed a run on two hits in four innings.
"Guy McDowell was outstanding," Trapasso said. "He kept us in the game."
Darrell Fisherbaugh came in to face Kyle Spangler, who reached first safely on a sacrifice fly that was dropped by center fielder Robbie Wilder, as Alford scored to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead.
Fisherbaugh looked like his reliable self by pitching a perfect ninth, only to allow back-to-back walks to Gary Holik and Antonio Sabatini before running a 2-0 count to Stephen Winters. That's when he was lifted for Steven Wright, who got Winters to foul pop a bunt to catcher Matt Inouye.
But Wright walked Alford to load the bases to set up Bacle's hit.
Matt Lacy (1-3), who started the game at third base, pitched two scoreless innings of relief for starter Clayton Meyer (six runs in eight-plus innings).
Meanwhile, Bauer gave up a two-run home run to Jeff Walker in the first inning. He also allowed a homer to Winters to start the fourth and an RBI double to Gil Laird later in the inning, which included a delayed double steal with runners at the corners.
"Ricky just struggled from the outset," Trapasso said. "When your lead guy goes down early, you're in trouble."
Greg Kish (2 for 4) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run single in the second.
Inouye and Rocky Russo, who each had two hits, had RBI singles in the eighth that tied the game at 5.
The series continues today at 2 p.m. HST.
Brady Bacle's one-out, RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted Louisiana Tech over Hawai'i, 7-6, last night in Western Athletic Conference play at J.C. Love Field in Ruston, La.
