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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, April 3, 2010

Gonzaga holds off baseball Rainbows, 7-6

Advertiser Staff

Drew Heit batted 3 for 5 with two RBI to lead Gonzaga over Hawai'i, 7-6, tonight to even the three-game non-conference series at 1 before 2,848 at Les Murakami Stadium.

Hawai'i's rally fell short in the bottom of the nintn. David Freitas led off with a double to right-center and Collin Bennett walked. Liam Baron was lifted for Mark Phillips. Kevin Macdonald walked to load the bases for pinch hitter Christian Johnson. whose ground single to left to reload the bases.

Kitamura was called out on strikes. Pinch hitter Sean Monplaisir's RBI single scored Bennett and Macdonald scored when the left fielder bobbled the ball. But Matt Roquemore grounded to short for a game-ending double play.

Gonzaga's Ryan Carpenter (2-3) went five innings, allowing two runs, five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts for the Bulldogs (11-14). Mark Phillips allowed a run in one inning to get the save.

UH starter Matt Sisto (3-4) lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits. He was pulled in the third for an apparent injury for the Rainbows (15-12).

Hawai'i took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Matt Roquemore led off by getting hit by a pitch, went to second when Greg Garcia grounded out to short, took third when Kolten Wong grounded out to first and scored on a wild pitch with David Fretias at the plate.

Gonzaga took the lead in the third. Ernesto Ortiz led off with a single to left and scored on Drew Heid's double to left to tie the game at 1. Heid went to third when Cameron Edman grounded out to the pitcher and scored on Andy Hunter's ground out to short to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Mark Castellitto reached on a chop single to third. Sisto was pulled for Alex Capaul because of an apparent injury. Clayton Eslick's single to right moved Castellitto to second, but Royce Bolinger grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Bulldogs added three in the fifth to increase their lead. Heid led off with a single to center and one out later, stole second and scored on Hunter's single to left. Hunter took second on Castellitto's single to left.

After Eslick flied out to left, Bolinger reached on a two-base error when left fielder Kalani Brackenridge dropped a fly that allowed two runs to score.

The Rainbows got one back in the fifth. Garcia and Wong hit back-to-back singles and an out later advanced a base on Bennett's single off the third base bag. Macdonald walked to force in a run to pull UH to 5-2.

Hawai'i pulled to 5-3 in the sixth. Tyler Olson started the inning for Gonzaga, but after a running a 3-0 count on Kitamura, left with an apparent injury for Andrew Danner, whose first pitch was ball four to Kitamura. after Kalani Brackenridge popped out to right, Kitamura scored when Matt Roquemore reached on a two-base throwing error by Danner.

But the Bulldogs got the run back in the top of the seventh. Edman led off with a single and an out later, took second when Castellitto grounded out to short. With Eslick at the plate, Edman scored from second on a wild pitch before drawing a walk. After a 1-0 count on Bolinger, Capaul was pulled for Jesse Moore, who retired the batter on a grounder to short.

The Bulldogs made it 7-3 in the seventh. Kevin Hawk led off by reaching on a fielding error by first baseman Macdonald, took second on Brian Yardley's sacrifice, and went to third on Oritz's fly out to right. Jesse Moore was pulled for Blair Walters. Heid reached on an RBI bunt single, but was caught stealing to end the inning.

UH pitcher Nate Klein made his first appearance since the Southern California game March 12, when he departed early because of shoulder tenderness. He pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one.