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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 8:06 p.m., Saturday, March 10, 2007

Arizona holds off Rainbows in baseball, 2-1

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Closer Daniel Schlereth pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning tonight as No. 24 Arizona held on to edge Hawai'i, 2-1, in the completion of a game suspended yesterday because of rain.

Trailing 2-0 with a full count on Kris Sanchez with no out and Schlereth on the mound, Friday's game was called, and resumed today before the regularly scheduled 6:35 p.m. second game.

The Wildcats improved to 14-5, and the Rainbows dropped to 14-7.

Sanchez greeted Schlereth by lining his first pitch to lett-center for a single. Eli Christensen worked an 11-pitch walk, and pinch hitter Nate Young reached on a bunt single to third to load the bases. Landon Hernandez fouled out to right, holding the runners, and Kevin Macdonald struck out. But Derek DuPree grounded a single into the hole that second baseman Kevin Rodland saved with a dive to prevent the tying run from scoring, with UH pulling to 2-1.

Jon Hee then hit a grounder to shortstop Robert Abel, who dove to the second base bag ahead of the sliding DuPree to end the game.

Starter Preston Guilmet (4-0) went eight innings, allowing no runs, five hits and four walks with 12 strikeouts. Schlereth notched his fifth save of the season with his one inning.

Hawai'i starter Ian Harrington (3-4) allowed two runs, eight hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. Matt Daly added 1 2/3 scoreless innings for UH.

On Friday night, the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. With one out, Abel singled and took second on a wild pitch before T.J. Steele struck out. Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch. On a 1-0 count, Abel stole third, as Sedbrook held first. On a 2-2 count, Sedbrook broke for second. Catcher Hernandez checked the runner and fired to shortstop Christensen, who also checked the runner at third before chasing Sedbrook back to first. But Sedbrook stayed alive long enough before being tagged out by first baseman Sanchez to allow Abel to score before the third out was recorded.

The Wildcats added a run in the eighth when Sedbrook doubled with one out, and scored when Bill Rhinehart followed with a ground single to center.