Recent history suggested the University of Nevada had the Hawai'i baseball team right where it wanted yesterday.

So did the worry on the faces of the meager gathering of a few hundred die-hard faithful in the morning game at Les Murakami Stadium.

But the 'Bows finally stood up and said otherwise.

Instead of being at their most vulnerable in two-out situations at the plate again, the 'Bows were at their most dangerous — and not just to themselves, either. They scored four of their runs — including the game-winner — after two were out in a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Wolf Pack in a NAPA Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament elimination game.

"Our backs were to the wall," said Vinnie Catricala, who sent Nevada right fielder Brett Hart to the warning track to haul in the sacrifice fly that allowed Kevin Fujii to slide in with the winning run and earn the 'Bows another day, today's 3 p.m. meeting with Fresno State, in the double-elimination tournament.

"It was do or die," said Catricala who was the poster player for "doing" on a day when the 'Bows (32-25) had no other option. He singled with two outs in the first inning and scored on Kolten Wong's two-run double. Catricala, who was 2 for 3 with two runs batted in, hit a two-out solo homer in the third inning.

And, then, when it looked for all the world like the game — and the season — would get away from the 'Bows who saw three leads get away yesterday, Catricala's bases-loaded sacrifice fly gave UH its walk-off victory.

In short, they were precisely the kinds of things the 'Bows were unable to do the night before in leaving 13 men on base — 10 in scoring position — to lose to Louisiana Tech, 4-3, and plummet into the losers' bracket and brink of elimination.

But, then, with a meager five hits yesterday, the 'Bows had to be resourceful this time. They had to make use of six bases on balls and be economical with their hits. "That's something we didn't do the night before," acknowledged UH coach Mike Trapasso. "You don't want to beat a dead horse, but it seemed like we did that (leaving runners in scoring position) every inning."

This time, with the end of their season in sight and their pitching and defense keeping them in the game, "we knew we had to concentrate and get some rallies going with two outs," Catricala said. "I definitely tried to shorten up the swing and just put the ball into play."

Because they did, the 'Bows went from being unable to execute to executioners of somebody else's postseason hopes for a change.