Posted at 9:13 p.m., Friday, May 26, 2006
Nevada beats Hawaii in WAC baseball tourney
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Rainbows (41-14) must win twice Saturday to advance to Sunday and win twice then to win the tournament title and automatic regional berth.
Hawaii will play Louisiana Tech at noon Saturday; if it wins, it plays again at 4 p.m. against the loser of Fresno State-Nevada, an 8 a.m. start.
Ryan Rodriguez (7-7) gave up three runs, eight hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Justin Costi (8-2) lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs, six hits and a season-high four walks with four strikeouts. It was his worst outing since going two-plus innings in a 6-1 loss at Fresno State on April 9, stopping his personal win streak at four.
The Wolf Pack ended UH's 12 consecutive scoreless innings streak when Durell Williams led off the bottom of the first with a homer to left-center.
Nevada chased Costi in the third, when it scored six by sending 10 batters to the plate. Ryan Foley led off with a double and took third when Williams' singled to left. Foley then scored when Krukow grounded out to second on a high chopper that allowed Williams to take second. Williams stole third before Bowman struck out. Scobee walked to put runners at the corners to set up Terry Walsh's RBI single to center that moved Scobee to second. A walk to Dan Eastham set the table for Drew Johnson's grand slam to right-center to make it 7-0.
Costi then walked David Ciarlo before being pulled for Matt Daly, who walked Foley before striking out Williams to end the inning.
Hawaii got to Rodriguez in the top of the fourth. Luis Avila led off with a walk and Matt Inouye's single to left sent him to second. But Esteban Lopez grounded to short for a double play, moving Avila to third, where he scored on Eli Christensen's double to right to make it 7-1.The Rainbows added two in the seventh in chasing Rodriguez. With one out, Robbie Wilder walked and took second on Derek DuPree's single to left. Justin Frash walked to load the bases, but Avila was called out on strikes before Inouye's two-run double sent Frash to third, ending Rodriguez's night.
Wesley Dorsett came in and struck out Lopez to end the inning with Nevada ahead, 7-3.
But the Wolf Pack got those runs back in the seventh. Daly walked the first two batters of the inning before being pulled for Tyler Davis. Dan Eastham popped out to second and Drew Johnson struck out. But Ciarlo drilled a three-run home run to center to make it 10-3. After a 2-0 count, catcher Lopez was ejected and replaced by Landon Hernandez.
