UH BASEBALL
Rainbows pound Nevada, 14-5, in WAC baseball tourney
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
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RUSTON, La. — Josh Schneider went a season-high 7 1/3 innings and Jeff Van Doornum hit two home runs to lead Hawai'i over Nevada, 14-5, tonight in the Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament at JC Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
Schneider (6-2) allowed five runs, 12 hits and two walks with three strikeouts for the second-seeded Rainbows (29-29), who play top-seeded Fresno State in a battle of the only unbeatens remaining in the tournament at 6 a.m., HST.
Cory Kahn added 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for UH.
Kyle Howe (8-3) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs, seven hits and a walk for the Wolf Pack (32-25), who play Sacramento State today in an elimination game.
The Rainbows jumped on Howe in the first in taking a 3-0 lead. Matt Roquemore singled to start the inning and out later took second on Jon Hee's single. After both advanced when Brandon Haislet chopped out to shortstop, Van Doornum hit a three-run home run to right-center.
Hawai'i added three more in the second in chasing Howe. Landon Hernandez led off with a single to center, took second on Matt Roquemore's sacrifice and advanced to third on Greg Garcia's single. Garcia stole second on a wild pitch that Hee swung and missed that allowed Hernandez to score, to make it 4-0, and Garcia moved all the way to third. Hee struck out, but Haislet homered to left to make it 6-0. Howe was pulled for Derek Achelpohl, who retired Van Doornum on a grounder to third.
Nevada got on the board in the third. Matt Bowman led off with a single and took second on Jason Rodriguez's single. Shaun Kort's chopper to short only allowed Hee to tag the runner from first. After Tyson Jaquez popped out to second, Terry Walsh's single to left scored Bowman to make it 6-1 before Mike Hale grounded out to the pitcher.
The Rainbows added two in the third. Macdonald led off with a walk and took second on Vinnie Catricala's single to left. Both advanced on DuPree's sacrifice. Hernandez reached on a two-base throwing error that allowed Macdonald to score and put runners at second and third. Roquemore's RBI single to right made it 8-1 and put runners at the corners. Garcia grounded out to the pitcher, as Hernandez held third and Roquemore went to second. But Hee grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Wolf Pack matched the two runs in the fourth. Kevin Rodland and David Ciarlo led off with successive doubles to pull ot 8-2. After Jason Sadoian grounded out to short, Ciarlo took third on Bowman's single to center. Ciarlo scored when Rodriguez chopped out to shortstop as Bowman took second. But Shaun Kort fouled out to third to end the inning.
The Rainbows continued their attack with a three-run fourth. Van Doornum hit his second homer of the game, a shot to right-center, with one out. Macdonald singled, took third on Catricala's double and both scored against a drawn-in infield on DuPree's ground single to center to make it 11-3.
Hawai'i got a run in the seventh. Hee led off with a single to left and took third on Haislet's double to right-center, chasing Jacob Kaup for Bryan Suarez, the fourth reliever of the game for Nevada. Van Doornum's ground out to second scored Hee to make it 12-3, as Haislet took third. Macdonald grounded out to first, as Haislet held third. Catricala was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners. But DuPree struck out to strand the runner on third.
The Wolf Pack made the Rainbows pay for not getting the 13th run to end it in the seventh on the 10-run rule. In the top of the eighth, Hale and Rodland hit back-to-back doubles to make it 12-4. After taking third on Brian Lloyd's fly out to right, Rodland scored on pinch hitter Dan Eastham's single to right to make it 12-5. Schneider was pulled for Cory Kahn, who walked Bowman to put runners at first and second. But Rodriguez grounded to second for an inning-ending double play.
The Rainbows added two in the eighth. With one out, Roquemore walked and Garcia reached on a single to first. Hee doubled to right to score Roquemore to make it 13-5. Haislet's RBI single to center moved hee to third with the score 14-5. Van Doornum grounded into a fielder's choice grouder to first in which Hee was thrown out at the plate, putting runners at first and second. Macdonald flied out to right to end the inning.
FRESNO STATE 7, SAN JOSE STATE 3
WAC Player of the Year Steve Susdorf batted 3 for 5 with four RBI to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs (35-27) to remain unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament.
Susdorf hit his 10th homer of the season in supporting Clayton Allison's six strong innings. Allison (2-5) allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
David Berner (3-8) allowed three runs in one innings for the fourth-seeded Spartans (31-25), the second team eliminated from the tournament. Jason Martin went 2 for 4 for San Jose State.
SACRAMENTO STATE 8, NEW MEXICO STATE 5
David Flores and Gabe Jacobo each homered to help the sixth-seeded Hornets (24-33) oust the Aggies (28-33) from the double-elimination tournament.
The Hornets play Nevada at 10 a.m., HST, in an elimination game.
Tommy Elrod (1-2) pitched 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing a run on no hits and three walks for the Hornets. Starter Tyler Sturdevan (6-6) gave up six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings for the Aggies, who lost to UH in Thursday's opening round.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.