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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 7:56 p.m., Saturday, March 22, 2008

Fresno State sweeps Rainbows in baseball

Advertiser Staff

Fresno State scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to down Hawaii, 4-2, tonight to sweep a Western Athletic Conference doubleheader and salvage a split of the four-game series at Les Murakami Stadium.

In the opener, Clayton Allison fired a four-hitter for FSU in a 5-0 win.

Jayson Kramer (0-1), who had gone 5 1/3 innings scoreless in relief, gave up two runs in the 10th after getting the lead-off batter out. Brandon Burke (2-3) pitched three scoreless innings for the Bulldogs.

In the FSU 10th, Steve Susdorf doubled to left with one out and scored on Alan Ahmady's triple to right. Pinch hitter Ryan Overland was hit by a pitch and was replaced by pinch runner Trent Soares. Ahmady then scored when he beat shortstop Nate Young's throw to home when Steve Detwiler reached first on a fielder's choice grounder to short, as Soares stopped at second. Kramer was lifted for Alex Capaul, who retired Tommy Mendonca and Danny Grubb on flyouts.

Neither starter figured in the decision as both gave up their runs in the fifth inning. Daly went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and five walks with a season-high eight strikeouts for UH (9-15 overall, 2-2 WAC), while Justin Miller also went 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs, five hits and five walks with four strikeouts for FSU. (10-12, 2-2)

The Bulldogs got on the board first in the fourth inning. Danny Grubb led off with a walk and Danny Muno homered to right to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. After Gavin Hestrom struck out, Erik Wetzel walked and took second on Steve Susdorf's flare single to left. When Alan Ahmady ran a 2-0 count, Daly was pulled for Jayson Kramer, who got Ahmady to ground to short for an inning-ending double play.

Nate Young led off with a walk and one out later, took third on Sean Montplaisir's single to right. Alex Myers walked to load the bases and chase Miller, who was replaced by Holden Sprague. Vinnie Catricala struck out, but Jeff Van Doornum drew a walk to force across a run to pull UH to 2-1. Brandon Haislet also walked to force another run in to tie the game at 2. But Evan Zimny grounded out to short to end the inning.

In the first game, Allison (1-2) tossed the third shutout of the series after UH won the first two games, 4-0 and 2-0. He allowed five hits, a walk and three hit batsmen with four strikeouts in recording his first shutout and second complete game of his career. No Rainbow reached third base.

Josh Slaats (0-2) went a season-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, four hits and four walks with two strikeouts for the Rainbows.

The Bulldogs broke their scoring drought in the fifth. With one out, Tommy Mendonca singled to left. After Danny Grubb flied out to center, Mendonca stole second and scored on Danny Muno's flare single to right to give FSU a 1-0 lead. It was FSU's first run of the series after going scoreless first 22 innings of the series.

The Bulldogs padded their lead with a four-run eighth, Muno walked with one out and took third when pinch hitter Gavin Hedstrom hit a liner off Slaats that caromed into right field for a single. Slaats was lifted for Harrison Kuroda, who gave up an RBI single to Erik Wetzel and then a three-run home run to Steve Susdorf to increase FSU's lead to 5-0.