Rainbows split with San Jose State
If the University of Hawaii baseball team is to clinch a bye in the WAC Tournament while in the islands, it will have to do so in Sunday’s season home finale against San Jose State.
It looked like UH might do it tonight.
But the Spartans rallied for five runs in the eighth — with the help of Rainbow miscues — to win the second game of a doubleheader 7-3 at Les Murakami Stadium in front of 3,265.
UH is now 29-21 and 14-5 in the WAC and leads the four-game series 2-1. San Jose State is 32-20 and 10-9.
Jeff Van Doornum went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead Hawaii to a 5-2 victory in the first game. Breland Almadova had three hits for the Rainbows.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Zach Gallagher (5-2) struck out a career-high seven in 5 2/3 innings and Lenny Linsky recorded the final four outs to earn his league-leading 12th save.
Esteban Gusman (5-3) pitched all six innings for San Jose State, allowing five runs on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Hawaii has won five of its last seven games.
Jarrett Arakawa pitched Hawaii to a 2-1 lead after seven innings of the second game. But reliever Blair Walters (6-2) was charged with five runs in the eighth.
San Jose State scored the tying run on an error when third baseman A.J. Bayus dropped a ground ball with the bases loaded, and got the go-ahead score when Walters’ pitch hit Anthony Bona. Walters also walked two Spartans before being relieved by Jesse Moore, who gave up run-scoring singles to Kerry Jenkins and Nick Schulz.
San Jose State starter Blake McFarland (7-2) allowed five hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Arakawa, capping a day in which he had two final exams, scattered nine hits. He struck out five and walked one.
UH scored a run in the ninth off reliever Zack Jones when Pi’ikea Kitamura walked with the bases loaded and two outs. But Kolten Wong then made the final out on a grounder to second.