Clint Ewing's one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning rallied second-seeded Louisiana Tech over fifth-seeded Hawai'i, 4-3, last night.

The shot to left-center happened before a disbelieving crowd of 2,578 at Les Murakami Stadium in the third game of the NAPA Auto Parts Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament.

The Rainbows (31-25) are relegated to today's 11 a.m. elimination game against Nevada, while the Bulldogs (29-20) will meet New Mexico State at 7 tonight. The loser of the Hawai'i-Nevada game will be the first eliminated from the double-elimination tournament. The game will be televised on KFVE (channel 5).

"It was a good feeling," Bulldogs coach Wade Simoneaux said. "We talked about a walk-off something to win this game. When you talk positive in the dugout, it's going to happen. I thought Matt Combs was going to hit the walkoff, I didn't know Ewing was. But it was something these guys believe in. They fight."

The Rainbows had just broken the 2-all game on a gift run in the top of the eighth. Kevin Fujii led off with a walk and an out later, took third when Greg Garcia reached on a two-base throwing error by shortstop Chris Kersten. After a pitching change, John Anderson's wild pitch scored Fujii to put UH ahead, 3-2.

But in the bottom of the ninth against Sam Spangler, Mark Threlkeld reached on a single to third and was lifted for pinch runner Clint Stubbs. Spangler struck out pinch hitter Combs for the first out. Stubbs stole second uncontested on an 0-1 count. Then on a 1-1 pitch, Ewing drilled a middle-in fastball over the left-center field wall to end the game. He was looking for a fastball in and got it.

"Thank God I put good barrel on it," said Ewing, a sophomore catcher. "It didn't get out by that much, I think, but it made it (over the fence)."

It was Ewing's seventh homer of the season, and he was just happy he could contribute."

"It was a hard-fought game," Ewing said. "I was just glad I could help us win, especially for the seniors. It's those guys' last chance. If anything, it's for them."

But it wasn't so much the homer that beat the Rainbows, as much as their stranding 13 runners, 10 in scoring position, in part because of leaving the bases loaded three times.

"We just didn't get it done," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We left too many guys on base."

Hawai'i had Tech starter Jeb Stefan on the ropes, but he constantly worked out of jams, expending 111 pitches in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs, seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts.

Battling Stefan the whole way was UH starter Jayson Kramer, who gave up two runs (one earned) and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Spangler (5-3) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless until the fateful ninth.

Hawai'i held a 2-0 lead through four innings, scoring in the first when Kolten Wong grounded to short for a force at second with the bases loaded and one out, and in the fourth when Matt Roqemore tripled with one out and scored on Fujii's chop single to left over a drawn-in infield.

But as the Rainbows continued to strand runners, the Bulldogs chipped away. They scored an unearned run in the fifth when Kramer dropped a toss from first baseman Kevin Macdonald to allow Kyle Roliard to reach first. After taking second on a ground out to third, Roliard scored on Patrick Thomas' single to pull Tech to 2-1.

The Bulldogs tied it in the sixth on a solo homer by Devon Dageford.