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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, May 10, 2008

UH BASEBALL
Aggies' big inning helps rout Rainbows

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Jon Hee

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ON RADIO TODAY

1420AM

8:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

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Hawai'i couldn't stop the bleeding in an eight-run sixth inning as New Mexico State pounded the Rainbows, 13-8, yesterday to assure a split of the Western Athletic Conference baseball series at Presley Askew Field in Las Cruces, N.M.

The Aggies (26-27 overall, 13-13 WAC) sent 13 batters to the plate in the big inning, which was highlighted by Joseph Scaperotta's grand slam. The Rainbows (24-27, 16-14) aided the uprising when an error was followed by a hit batsman and a walk that loaded the bases for the league's leading home run leader with 20.

"We competed the whole game," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "The error really hurt us. I don't know that we were going to turn two (double play), but we would've had a chance to turn two then we're out of the inning (still ahead, 4-3). We don't get anybody out there."

Trapasso is concerned with relief pitcher Jayson Kramer, who had been effective in diffusing tight situations, but has recently struggled in them. After third baseman Vinnie Catricala's throwing error to second in an attempt to start a double play, starting pitcher Nick Rhodes was pulled for Kramer. But Kramer hit Richard Stout with his first pitch to load the bases and walked Bryan Marquez to force in the go-ahead run. Scaperotta's slam made it 9-4.

"It was three freebies before Scaperotta gets up and that was basically the game," Trapasso said.

Though Kramer struck out the next batter, he gave up three successive singles, the last driving in a run that made it 10-4.

"We have to go back to the drawing board with Jayson because something's not right with him," Trapasso said. "He hasn't thrown well, really, in a few weeks. We have to figure out what's going on with him."

Scaperotta hit one of three homers by the Aggies. Marquez added a two-run shot and Chris Auten had a solo blast, both off Alex Myers, UH's second reliever of the night.

The Rainbows also hit three homers, two by Jon Hee and one by Jeff Van Doornum, who batted after entering the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning for Ryan Asato, who might have aggravated a hamstring injury he suffered earlier in the season. Evan Zimny started in right field for Van Doornum and went 2 for 5. Van Doornum had struck out in four consecutive at-bats the night before.

Starter Heath Goin (6-2) was the beneficiary of the eight-run sixth, having gone seven innings, allowing five runs, 10 hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Goin also beat UH, 9-3, in the series at Les Murakami Stadium last month. Jason Conner pitched the final two innings.

Rhodes (4-5) was charged with six runs (five earned), eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He got 11 grounders for outs, one of them a double play.

"These kids battled today," Trapasso said. "I liked the way our kids competed, all the way to the last out. The last out of the game, a kid like Kevin Fujii hits it all the way to the wall."

The Rainbows will have to sweep their first doubleheader of the season today if they are to salvage a split of the series. They need to win at least one to assure a winning WAC record and give themselves a shot at an overall winning record. Game time is 9 a.m. HST. Matt Daly will start the opener with the second game starter to be determined.

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