Monday, April 27, 1998
Despite lopsided
loss, UH still in
playoff hunt
The Rainbows are a
Star-Bulletin staff
half game back in the race
for a WAC baseball
wild-card berthFRESNO, Calif. -- The University of Hawaii baseball team led, 1-0, in the top of the third inning yesterday. Then things got ugly.
The first two Fresno State batters in the bottom of the third inning reached base on consecutive errors by UH shortstop Michael Dartt. With the door open, the Bulldogs got one-out singles from Joe Gerber, Jason Fanconi and Jeff Weaver to go ahead, 2-1. Josh Hannah followed with a grand slam, and FSU scored 18 more runs over the next five innings.
Building on those six unearned runs in the third inning, the Bulldogs routed the Rainbows, 24-9, to even their Western Athletic Conference series at a game apiece. The finale is today at 4 p.m.
The 24 runs and 18 earned runs were season highs against UH.
The Bulldogs (25-22 overall, 14-8 WAC) pounded out 25 hits, including four homers, also season highs against the Rainbows. Hannah hit his second homer of th game in the eighth, a three-run shot, and finished with nine RBIs. Anthony Simioli and Jason Bell also hit home runs for FSU.
Of the six Hawaii pitchers, only freshman right-hander Gavin Garrick escaped unscathed, retiring all four Bulldogs he faced.
Dartt and Darren Blakely each had three hits for Hawaii (32-17, 10-13). Greg Millichap hit a three-run homer in the fifth and Shane Chan singled home two runs in the seventh.
But trying to climb out of an 18-5 hole after six innings was too much for the Rainbows, who had 14 hits and received five walks.
Twice the 'Bows scored four runs in an inning to begin narrowing the gap, only to have the Bulldogs score six runs in each of the sixth and eighth innings.
UH head coach Les Murakami will start freshman right-hander Patrick McNair (5-3, 3.53 earned run average) today. The Bulldogs will go with Kirk Griffin (5-5, 4.99) who pitched a complete-game, eight-hitter in March at Rainbow Stadium. It was the Bulldogs' only victory of the three-game series.
If McNair runs into trouble, Dusty Bergman will be the first reliever out of the bullpen.
In the WAC, UH is 4-8 on the road and FSU is 9-2 at home.
Despite yesterday's lopsided loss, the Rainbows can still earn a WAC tournament wild-card berth.
Texas Christian and San Diego State, which swept a three-game series from San Jose State, are in good shape to claim two of the three wild-card spots.
Four teams are in the hunt for the sixth and final wild-card berth -- Nevada-Las Vegas, Brigham Young, San Jose State and Hawaii. UNLV and BYU are tied for the sixth spot, with UH and SJSU a half game back.
OPPOSITE EXTREMES: Blakely is 8-for-20 (.400) against FSU pitching. Matt Wheeler is 1-for-18 (.056).
SERIES STANDING: Fresno State leads the overall series with Hawaii, 32-21. However, in WAC play, the Bulldogs hold a 23-12 advantage since joining the conference in 1993.
NEXT UP: UH plays at San Diego State Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Aztecs scored 49 runs in winning three games from San Jose State this past weekend.
Box Score
Bulldogs 24, Rainbows 9
Hawaii Fresno State ab r h bi ab r h bi Dartt ss 5 2 3 0 Gerber cf 7 4 6 1 Wheeler c 4 0 0 0 Fanconi ss 6 2 4 2 Stegmaier c 2 0 0 0 Weaver dh 5 3 3 3 Honma rf 2 1 1 2 Hannah lf 5 3 3 9 Takamori rf 2 1 2 0 da Luz 3b 6 1 2 0 Millichap dh 4 1 1 3 Prieto 2b 6 2 3 1 Whitsett lf 5 0 1 0 Garcia 1b 4 2 0 0 Blakely cf 5 1 3 0 Tafoya 1b 1 1 1 0 Aloy 1b 1 0 0 0 Simillo c 6 2 1 2 Nakano 1b 1 1 0 0 Bell rf 4 4 2 3 Perreira 3b 5 1 0 0 Pico 2b 3 1 1 0 Chan 2b 2 0 2 2 Totals 41 9 14 7 Totals 50 24 25 21 Hawaii 001 040 400-- 9 Fresno State 006 246 06x--24E--Dartt 2 (21), Blakely 2 (5), Prieto (6), Simioli (9).LOB--UH 11, FSU 9.
2B--Dartt (3), Bell (5). HR--Millichap (5), Hannah 2 (7), Simioli (5), Bell (4). SF--Honma (2).
IP H R ER BB SO Ho (L, 5-5) 3-2/3 6 8 2 1 2 Mackenzie 1 6 4 4 1 0 Jones 2/3 2 4 4 2 0 Baptista 1/3 3 2 2 1 1 Garrick 1-1/3 0 0 0 0 0 Binkie 1 8 6 6 0 0 Pettyjohn (W, 5-5) 6-2/3 10 9 5 4 9 Graham 2-1/3 4 0 0 1 1WP--Baptista (7). PB--Wheeler (2). HBP--Fanconi (by Ho), Garcia (by Jones).Umpires--Marple (plate), Gilmore (first), Bain (third).
T--3:22. A--3,402.
WAC Standings
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Fresno St. 14 8 .636 -- 25 22 .532 San Diego St. 14 9 .609 -1/2 26 19 .578 San Jose St. 10 13 .435 4-1/2 26 19 .578 Hawaii 10 13 .435 4-1/2 32 17 .653
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. Gr. Canyon 12 12 .500 -- 24 22 .522 Brig. Young 11 13 .458 1 27 20 .574 Air Force 6 17 .261 5-1/2 13 31 .295 Utah 6 18 .250 6 16 30 .348
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L Pct. x-Rice 24 3 .889 -- 39 14 .736 Tex. Christian 15 8 .652 7 29 18 .617 Nev-Las Vegas 11 13 .458 11-1/2 28 20 .583 New Mexico 9 15 .375 13-1/2 20 27 .426Clinched division title.
Fresno State 24, Hawaii 9
Utah 21, Grand Canyon 4
San Diego State 16, San Jose State 9
Texas Christian at New Mexico, canceled, snow
Hawaii at Fresno State 4 p.m.
WAC tournament race
W L Pct. Rice (South) 24 3 .889 Fresno St. (West) 14 8 .636 Grand Canyon (North) 12 12 .500
W L Pct. GB Texas Christian 15 8 .652 -- San Diego St. 14 9 .609 1 Nev-Las Vegas 11 13 .458 4-1/2 Brigham Young 11 13 .458 4-1/2 San Jose St. 10 13 .435 5 Hawaii 10 13 .435 5 New Mexico 9 15 .375 6-1/2 Air Force 6 17 .261 9 Utah 6 18 .250 9-1/2Six teams qualify for the conference tournament, May 13-16, at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the San Diego State campus. The three division winners automatically qualify regardless of their conference record. The next three teams with the best conference record also qualify.
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