Arizona takes the win in Hawaii’s last hurrah

A four-month season in college baseball generally comes down to those 10 or 15 games that could go either way.

Sunday’s season finale for the Hawaii baseball team was a painful reminder of how most of those games tend to go against the Rainbow Warriors. Locked in a duel with nationally-ranked Arizona, Hawaii squandered three late-inning scoring chances and allowed the winning runs to score after two walks in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to the 24th-ranked Wildcats before a Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,890.

JJ Matijevic’s two-run double scored the second and third earned runs Hawaii reliever Matt Valencia had given up all season.

Valencia (3-2) allowed earned runs in only two of his 21 appearances all season but suffered the loss in both of them.

It resulted in the fourth consecutive 30-loss season for Hawaii (23-30), which finished with its most wins since joining the Big West Conference in 2013.

“Typical for us we claw, fight and scratch the whole game,” Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “Unfortunately it was kind of a microcosm of our season. So many opportunities.”

Hawaii lost 15 of the 16 games it scored two runs or less this season and was 9-14 in games decided by two or fewer runs.

That includes five one-run losses in conference play. Hawaii finished five games behind BWC champion Cal State Fullerton in a tie for fourth place.

UH is now 82-128 over the past four seasons. Trapasso, who just finished his 15th year at Hawaii, is currently under contract through 2017 and is expected to return for a 16th season.

He refused to address his contract status through the media, saying he was focused on the upcoming draft and recruiting for next year.

UH athletics director David Matlin was not at Sunday’s senior ceremonies and was not available for comment.

The Rainbow Warriors will return seven position players next year, including Josh Rojas, who finished 3-for-4 with a double against the Wildcats. His single in the sixth inning drove in pinch runner Kobi Candaroma to tie the game at 2-2.

It also put runners on first and third with one out but a strikeout and a line out to shortstop ended that inning.

UH had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh inning but Ethan Lopez hit into a double play to end that frame.

Rojas doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out in the eighth inning. Hawaii scored the tying run on a groundout but left the go-ahead run at third with a strikeout and a ground out to the pitcher.

Cody Deason (1-2) earned the win working out of the eighth-inning jam and Alfonso Rivas struck out the final batter to earn the save.

“That was two freshmen finishing the game (on the mound) for us,” Arizona coach Jay Johnson said. “It was a great crowd here at UH and simulated a regional environment and it was a great thing for our team to be in a tough game against a good team.”

The Wildcats finished 38-20 but found out in the fifth inning it was not chosen as one of 16 host sights for regional play next weekend.

Arizona has the best RPI of any team on the West Coast, but no team west of Lubbock, Texas, is hosting a regional. Thirteen of the 16 sites went to the SEC and ACC.

“When we set our goals for the season, it wasn’t to host a regional,” Johnson said. “It was to be in the NCAA tournament and we accomplished that. This was a great opportunity to prepare us for what’s ahead and I think this will serve us well moving forward.”

Hawaii honored 10 seniors after the game, including reliever Cody Culp, whose 31 appearances this season tied for the third-most by a UH pitcher.

Fifth-year senior Lawrence Chew, who pitched one inning of relief, struck out Matijevic to end his career. He finished with 68 relief appearances, tying Lenny Linsky, Jeff Ball and Ian Jones for the career record.

“I heard the crowd give me an applause and I looked up to my parents and waved at them so it was a neat moment,” Chew said of walking on the field. “I still remember my freshman year like it was yesterday. It was the fastest five years ever.”

BIG WEST BASEBALL

x—record include one tie

*—non-conference

Sunday

*Arizona 5, Hawaii 3

End of Regular Season

NO. 24 ARIZONA 5, HAWAII 3

E—Rivas, Dalbec, Sheldon-Collins. DP—Arizona 1, Hawaii 1. LOB—Arizona 12, Hawaii 13. 2B—Gibbons, Matijevic, Salazar, Doi, Rojas. HBP—Rivas, Dalbec, Rios, Baldwin. SH—Lewis, Sheldon-Collins, Ka’aua, Doi. SF—Salazar. SB—Gibbons, Aguilar, Rivas.

Ming faced 2 batters in the 8th.

WP—Gomez, Valencia 2. HBP—by Ginkel (Rios); by Hornung (Rivas); by Hornung (Dalbec); by Ginkel (Baldwin).

Umpires—(Plate): Bill Barnes. (First): Scott Letendre. (Third): Mark Jarboe.

T—3:31. A—1,890.