Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
MESA, Ariz. » Collin Bennett‘s three years at Hawaii will ultimately be defined by his mastery of Hohokam Stadium.
The UH senior, who set Western Athletic Conference tournament records with 13 hits and seven doubles in 2010, was at it again on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with an RBI triple in an 8-2 loss to Fresno State.
Bennett has hit safely in all 10 games at this park, batting .478 (22-for-46) with seven doubles, nine runs and eight RBIs.
"I like it here, but all I know is I’ve got to keep doing it because we need to start winning," Bennett said.
Named to the All-WAC second team earlier in the week, Bennett nearly hit his first postseason home run, drilling a ball off the hitter’s eye in center field above the 410-foot sign.
All three of his home runs this season have come in the past two weeks.
"You’ve got to step up at this time of the year," Bennett said. "That damn hitter’s eye took a home run from me but the ball flies out pretty good here."
Fresno State is the only team Bennett has lost to in the WAC tournament. UH is 6-4 in those 10 games.
Freshmen struggling down the stretch
The Rainbows’ three starting freshmen went 0-for-11 against Fresno State, grounding into inning-ending double plays in the critical fifth and sixth innings that helped decide Wednesday’s game.
Second baseman Stephen Ventimilia, who at one point led the team with a .329 average, is hitting .163 (7-for-43) in his past 11 games and has battled flu-like symptoms this week.
Designated hitter Trevor Podratz is just 2-for-23 in his past seven games and has seen his average fall 32 points in two weeks to .252.
"The freshmen have hit the wall and they’ve got to get through it," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "They’ve got to be tougher than they were today."
Ventimilia, who also committed an error in the Bulldog’s six-run sixth inning, was replaced by Billy Nottingham at second to start the seventh. Nottingham hadn’t played the position all season.
Home sweet home
Riley Welch has made the most of his opportunities to pitch near his hometown.
The right-hander, whose hometown of Scottsdale is just a short drive from the stadium, pitched 12⁄3 scoreless innings against the Bulldogs, allowing just one hit.
Although he’s made only 10 appearances in two seasons, Welch has pitched against Fresno State twice in the tournament, tossing 42⁄3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
He earned his only career save in his final game at Les Murakami Stadium last Saturday against Nevada.
Escobar’s walk-off home run wins it
Catcher Carlos Escobar Jr. hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Nevada a 4-3 win over Louisiana Tech in the other game played on Wednesday.
The Wolf Pack will play Sacramento State at noon, while No. 1 seed New Mexico State will play Fresno State at 4 p.m.
Nevada first baseman Kewby Meyer, a Kamehameha alumnus, went 0-for-4 in his first WAC tournament game.
81