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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 10:18 p.m., Thursday, February 1, 2007

Georgia Southern holds off UH in baseball, 13-11

Advertiser Staff

Mike Economos batted 5 for 5 with five RBIs and five runs to lead Georgia Southern over Hawai'i, 13-11, Thursday night at Les Murakami Stadium.

Hawai'i (2-2) lost its second in a row, while it was the season opener for the Eagles (1-0).

Rainbows' coach Mike Trapasso was ejected in the top of the seventh after arguing a play at first base that allowed an Eagle to reach first. Charile Strohecker (1-0) allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief and was credited with the decision.

The Rainbows loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with no outs, but Kyle Kammpi got the next two outs before walking Landon Hernandez to make it 13-10. A wild pitch made it 13-11 but Matt Roquemore struck out to end the game.

Hawai'i starter Ian Harrington lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned), seven hits and a walk with one strikeout.

Georiga Southern Josh Lairsey went 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (four earned), seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts, but could not figure in the decision because he did not go the required minimum of five innings.

Harrington got into trouble from the first inning. After Chris Hollis flied out to deep right, Jeremy Beckham singled to center and took third when Matt Miller doubled by the second baseman; on the play, Miller's grounder got to second baseman Nathan Young about the same time as the base runner, perhaps distracting Young. Economos doubled to center to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. After Griffin Benedict reached on catcher's interference, A.J. Wirnsberger walked to load the bases. Chris Shehan's two-run single made it 4-0 before Brian Pierce flied out to center to end the inning.

Hawai'i got three in the bottom of the first. With one out, Young reached on a two-base throwing error by shortstop Pierce and scored on Justin Frash's double to right-center. A wild pitch moved Frash to third before Brandon Haislet walked. Kris Sanchez's ground out to second scored Frash and sent Haislet to third. Eli Christensen's single to center puiled UH to 4-3 before Evan Zimny grounded out to first to end the inning.

But the Eagles got the three runs back in the second. Hollis reached first on shortstop Christensen's throwing error and reached third on Beckham's single to left. After Miller struck out Economos' two-run double to left made it 6-3 and was followed by Benedict's RBI single to left-center. Harrington was pulled for Jayson Kramer retired the next two batters to end the inning.

The Rainbows got one back in the bottom of the second. Landon Hernandez led off with a single and took second on a balk. Two outs later, Hernandez took third on a pick-off throwing error by pitcher Lairsey before Young walked. Hernandez scored on Frash's ground single to center to make it 7-4.

Georgia Southern kept the scoring up with another run in the third. Chris Shehan led off with a single off Kramer and Pierce reached on a bunt single to first in which second baseman Young was late covering. Hollis sacrificed the runners over and Shehan scored when Beckham grounded out to second to make it 8-4.

The Eagles added two in the fourth. Economos led off with a single and took second on Benedict's single. Parker struck out and Winrsberger grounded to third for a force at second to put runners at the corners. But a wild pitch scored Economos and sent Wirnsberger to second, where he scored when Shehan reached on second baseman Young's fielding error to make it 10-4.

The Rainbows cut their deficit with a four-run fifth. With one out, Frash singled and took third on Haislet's double to left. Kris Sanchez's two-run single to center made it 10-6 and chased Lairsey for Charlie Strohecker. Christensen's flair single to right-center put runners at first and second and both runners advanced when Evan Zimny flied out to deep center. Hernandez then grounded a two-run double down the left-field line to make it 10-8. But Macdonald struck out to end the inning.

Economos continued his tear with a solo home run to left in the sixth off Kramer to increase the Eagles' lead to 11-8.

The Rainbows scored one in the seventh. Haislet led off with a single, stole second and two outs later, scored on Zimny's double to left-center. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Eagles added two against Tyler Davis in the eighth on a wild pitch and RBI single by pinch hitter Kyle Blackburn to make it 13-9.