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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 9:59 p.m., Friday, March 13, 2009

Hawaii baseball team rallies to 3-2 victory

Advertiser Staff

Thanks to three walks and a two-our error, Hawai'i scored three runs without a the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally past Loyola Marymount, 3-2, tonight before 1,482 at Les Murakami Stadium and put UH ahead, 2-0, in the four-game series.

Connor Little (1-0) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for the Rainbows (8-6), winners of five in a row. Josh Slaats got the final two outs for his first save.

Ernie Cho (1-2) was charged with three unearned runs, gave up two hits, but walked six with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings for the Lions (8-9), who have dropped seven in a row.

In the bottom of the eighth, Cho walked Matt Roquemore and Sean Montplaisir to start the inning and both advanced on Greg Garcia's sacrifice to third. Kolten Wong reached on a fielder's choice grounder to first in which Roquemore was thrown out at the plate, putting runners at the corners. Vinnie Catricala walked to load the bases. LMU starter Ernie Cho was pulled for Jordan McClintick to face Kevin Macdonald, who reached safely as two runs scored on shortstop Shon Roe's fielding error that also moved Catricala to third. With Jeffrey Van Doornum at the plate, Catricala scored on a wild pitch to put UH ahead, 3-2, and send Macdonald to second. Van Doornum then struck out, but the damage was done.

The Lions threatened in the top of the ninth. With one out, Jonathan Johnson walked and took second on Roe's single to left. Slaats came in for Little to face Kyle Spraker. Then a downpour halted the game for 35 minutes. Johnson was caught stealing third, as Roe took second before Slaats struck out Spraker to end the game.

Hawai'i starter Nate Klein was pulled with two outs, a runner on first and a 1-0 count on Trevor Gee in the sixth inning. Because he was lifted for an injury Connor Little had as many warmup tosses as he wanted. Klein allowed two runs and seven hits with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

The Lions took the lead in the third. With two outs, Ryan Hawthorne singled to left and took second on left fielder Sean Montplaisir's fielding error. Ryan Wheeler followed a two-run homer to right-center to give LMU a 2-0 lead.