honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 6:14 p.m., Thursday, May 24, 2007

Nevada pounds UH in WAC baseball tourney opener

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

RENO, Nev. — Second-seeded Nevada crushed three home runs, and Ryan Rodriguez pitched a complete game to power past fifth-seeded Hawai'i, 11-1, in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament tonight. The game at Peccole Park was called after the top of the seventh because of the tournament's 10-run differential mercy rule.

The Rainbows (33-24) will play Sacramento State at 8 a.m, Hawai'i time, tomorrow in the first elimination game of the tournament. The Wolf Pack will play San Jose State tomorrow at 4 p.m. HST.

It was another short night for UH starter Ian Harrington (7-8). He went two-plus innings, departing after giving up a lead-off single to Shaun Kort to start the third. He allowed four runs, all unearned, and four hits with one strikeout.

The Rainbows took a 1-0 lead in the second. Kris Sanchez singled to right, took second on Kevin Macdonald's sacrifice and moved to third when Brandon Haislet reached on a bunt single in front of the plate. After Vinnie Catricala struck out, the Rainbows executed a double-steal with Sanchez scoring.

But the lead was short-lived. A throwing error by third baseman Justin Frash allowed Terry Walsh to reach first to start the inning. He took second on Dan Eastham's single to left and both advanced on Matt Suleski's sacrifice. Chris Siewert was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Walsh scored when David Ciarlo reached on a fielder's choice chopper to third that Frash tagged the bag for a force. But Jason Sadoin ripped a 2-1 pitch over the left-center field fence to make it 4-1 before Jason Rodriguez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wildness cost Matt Daly in the fifth. He walked Matt Suleski to start the inning. Suleski took second on pinch hitter Owen Mackedon's sacrifice, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on David Ciarlo's sacrifice fly to center to increase Nevada's lead to 5-1.

The Wolf Pack added four in the fifth, all against Jeff Soskin, UH's second reliever of the game. A sacrifice fly and three successive RBI doubles increased Nevada's lead to 9-1.

Nevada ended Soskin's night in the sixth after he allowed back-to-back home runs Jason Rodriguez and Kort to make it 11-1.