Cal Poly capitalizes on Rainbows’ errors for win

Outside of UC Santa Barbara, the Hawaii baseball team still can’t figure out the powers of the Big West Conference.

Everything was in place for the second straight game to pick up a key road win at Cal Poly, which won 87 games over the previous two years.

Instead, a two-out throwing error allowed the Mustangs to turn a seventh-inning deficit into a 3-2 win over Hawaii on Saturday night at Baggett Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Against the three schools to make a regional last season — Cal Poly, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton — the Rainbow Warriors are 2-21 since joining the conference in 2013.

Junior Tyler Brashears took a shutout into the seventh, with Hawaii (12-22, 3-5) ahead 2-0 on two-out hits by Eric Ramirez and Marcus Doi.

Cal Poly (13-18, 3-2) had just two hits through six innings before singles put runners on the corners with one out.

Pinch hitter Kevin Morgan hit a grounder back to Brashears, who threw to first for the second out.

Jordan Ellis took off for home and was safe on the throwing error by Eric Ramirez, allowing Ryan Drobny to advance to third.

Tommy Pluschkell followed with a ground ball to short, but Jacob Sheldon-Collins’ throw was low in the dirt and Ramirez couldn’t scoop it, allowing Drobny to score the tying run.

Mark Mathias followed with an RBI triple off the wall in left-center and just like that a gem by Brashears turned into another heartbreaking loss for Hawaii.

"It’s a shame," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "We played well enough to win but couldn’t finish it — couldn’t make the plays defensively in that seventh inning."

The Rainbow Warriors are only 8-7 in games when leading after the fifth inning and have lost five times when ahead after six.

Hawaii can still pick up a win on Sunday but has lost 14 of its 19 series against current Big West teams over the past three seasons.

The ‘Bows outhit the Mustangs (eight to six) for the second consecutive game.

Ramirez finished 2-for-3 with a walk and Alex Sawelson went 2-for-4 with a double.

Alan Baldwin led off the fourth inning with a bunt single and scored on Ramirez’s two-out single. Doi followed with an RBI double over the head of Ellis in center off Cal Poly starter Kyle Smith, who went on to scatter eight hits over eight innings.

Danny Zandona, who struck out five of the six batters he faced on Friday, punched out three more Hawaii hitters in the ninth to earn his sixth save.

Brashears struck out seven in 62⁄3 innings and allowed five hits with one walk.

"Tyler pitched great — well enough to win," Trapasso said. "We weren’t able to back him up."

Quintin Torres-Costa walked two to load the bases in the seventh before recording the first of two strikeouts. He has now struck out 32 in 221⁄3 innings.

Hawaii is 1-8 in true road games and 2-10 away from Les Murakami Stadium. It’s also 2-8 in one-run games.

Left-hander Jarrett Arakawa (2-0, 2.01 ERA) will start the series finale on Sunday at 10 a.m. Hawaii time.

CAL POLY 3, HAWAII 2

E—Ventimilia, Ramirez, Sheldon-Collins. DP—Cal Poly 1. LOB—Hawaii 7, Cal Poly 8. 2B—Sawelson, Doi, Ellis, Drobny. 3B—Mathias. SB—Barbier, Drobny.

WP—Smith. BK—Brashears. Umpires—(Plate): Chuck Lyon. (First): Ruben Candelaria. (Third): Anthony Norris. T—2:16. A—1,481.