Washington State beats UH

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Wayne Daman Jr. might eventually become Washington State's series-opening starting pitcher by league play. He certainly made a case yesterday.

Hawai'i third baseman Schafer Magana soars to make a catch as Washington State's Jason Freeman slides in safely. Wayne Daman Jr. pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in the four-game series finale. Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser

Daman (2-0), who allowed one hit in eight shutout innings the week before against Portland, serves a dual role for the Cougars (7-7). In the previous three games of the series, he was on call as a closer, but wasn't needed.

"He'll probably be our Saturday guy, maybe our Friday guy," WSU coach Don Marbut said. "A lot of times on the last game of the series, you're trying to win the series or get at least a split, you'd like to have him in your back pocket."

Dane Renkert pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off UH (7-5).

Daman said he set up UH hitters with fastballs inside and finished with off-speed away from them.

"I was locating my pitches well," he said. "I was throwing the ball for strikes and the defense made plays."

UH freshman lead-off hitter Joe Spiers said he noticed the pattern too late. He was 0 for 4 with a walk, scoring UH's only run.

"Previous games they were throwing away, away, away and today, they came in and it took me about three at-bats to figure it out," said Spiers, who saw his 11-game hitting streak stopped. "I didn't adjust in time.

"Streaks always come to an end. It doesn't really matter, one game or four games. I'm here to get on base."

Spiers, who has started at shortstop or DH in the first 11 games, started at second base for Isaac Omura, who strained his left knee Saturday night. Spiers said he has previous experience playing second base.

Omura, who was carried off the field when he was injured, was walking after Saturday's game and yesterday.

"We think he'll be back Tuesday," said UH coach Mike Trapasso when the 'Bows open their six-team tournament against Sacramento State.

Omura was UH's hottest hitter in the series (7 for 10 with three doubles) before the injury. He leads the team with a .421 batting average and nine RBIs.

Outfielder Greg Kish, who left Thursday's game with a forearm sprain, started at DH yesterday, but was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Making his collegiate debut was freshman catcher Erik Ammon, who was 0 for 2 before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the seventh. He is still nursing an aching left shoulder.

"He's not a hundred percent yet, but he was good enough to go," Trapasso said of Ammon. "Kish is not a hundred percent yet, but it had nothing to do with our performance today. Team-wise, from top to bottom, we were beat."

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the first against UH starter Justin Costi after a single, double and RBI ground out.

The Rainbows tied it in the bottom of the first. Spiers led off with a walk, but Troy Hanzawa fouled out to first when he popped up a bunt. Matt Inouye was hit by a pitch before Luis Avila's RBI single to left put runners at the corners.

Schafer Magana was out on a safety squeeze toward third that forced Inouye back to third base, only advancing Avila to second. Kish walked to load the bases, but Ryan Asato popped out to Daman to end the inning.

In the second, Robbie Wilder reached on a one-out, two-base throwing error by third baseman Zach McAngus. An out later, Hanzawa reached on a squib single between the catcher and pitcher. But Inouye popped out to second to end the threat. Hawai'i never had more than two batters reach base in an inning from that point on.

The Cougars broke the deadlock in the fourth. McAngus and Grant Alexander had back-to-back singles. Jeff Miller bunted to Costi, whose throw to third was wild, allowing McAngus to score and Alexander to take third. Miller made it all the way to second on the play.

Matthew Thomas' ground out to short scored Alexander and sent Miller to third. Costi was pulled for Steven Wright, who allowed a sacrifice fly to center to Kaeo Rubin that made it 4-1.

Costi (0-2) was charged with four runs, three unearned from his own error, on six hits with one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.

The Cougars added three more in the ninth on an RBI single by pinch hitter Zach Franklin and two-run double by Alexander.

McAngus, a 2002 Kamehameha Schools graduate, led WSU hitters by batting 3 for 5 (6 for 16 in the series).

"It was good to play in front of friends and family," he said. "(But it was) disappointing we couldn't win more ball games. It's definitely nice leaving with something positive, the feeling that you won and that you just didn't give in."

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