Neck-and-neck with UC Santa Barbara for the best RPI on the West Coast, No. 24 Arizona might be a win away from staying home next weekend.
The Wildcats won their fourth game in the last five days beating Hawaii 6-1 on Saturday to clinch the series at Les Murakami Stadium.
Cesar Salazar’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning was enough run support for Nathan Bannister and Bobby Dalbec, who combined to hold Hawaii to six hits.
The Wildcats improved to 37-20 with a game to play and could be in position to host a regional next weekend in Tucson, Ariz.
“I hope Indianapolis was up watching the game tonight because this would have been the only game going on,” first-year Arizona coach Jay Johnson said. “I think these guys deserve it and as long as our name is called we will go to wherever they tell us, but we’d love for that to be at our home park.”
Eric Ramirez doubled and scored the only run of the game for Hawaii (23-29), which needs a win today to avoid a fourth consecutive 30-loss season.
It won’t be easy as UH dropped to 1-20 in its last 21 games against the Pac-12. The ’Bows do have Brendan Hornung to start against a pitcher to be determined for the Wildcats.
Hornung (4-7, 3.09 ERA) was brilliant in 62⁄3 innings last week, allowing no earned runs in a win over Cal State Fullerton that evened UH’s conference record at 12-12.
“We’ve faced great hitters all season long so the game plan doesn’t really change much,” Hornung said. “It will be the same approach I’ve had all season.”
The Big West wrapped up play on Saturday with the Titans beating Long Beach State 2-1 to win the conference crown.
UH’s 12-12 record was good enough to finish in a tie for fourth place in the nine-team league.
The ’Bows haven’t been good enough to break through against the Wildcats, but got a solid start from senior Alex Hatch in his last UH game before a crowd of 2,370.
Hatch left with one out in the sixth inning after Arizona took a 2-1 lead but was saddled with two more runs on Salazar’s two-out double off Cody Culp that made it a three-run lead.
Dalbec, who finished 2-for-4, made it 5-1 in the seventh inning with a two-out RBI single.
The Wildcats were 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position while Hawaii was held to just one hit in nine tries in the same situation.
“They’re too good to play the way we did,” Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “We didn’t capitalize on any opportunities.”
Hawaii led 1-0 and threatened to extend that lead in the third inning when Chayce Ka’aua ripped a ball through the legs of third baseman Dalbec to reach second. Josh Rojas bunted him over and was called safe at first after it was ruled Rojas eluded the tag of Ryan Aguilar roughly 15 feet in front of the bag.
That put runners on the corners with nobody out for Matt LoCoco, who ripped a line drive right at shortstop Louis Boyd.
Boyd doubled off Rojas at first and Bannister struck out Johnny Weeks to end a dramatic nine-pitch inning.
Hawaii loaded the bases with a single and two walks in the eighth inning but Gibbons robbed Rios of at least two RBIs with a sliding catch in right to end the inning.
BIG WEST BASEBALL
Conference |
|
|
|
Overall |
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
GB |
W |
L |
CS Fullerton |
17 |
7 |
.708 |
— |
35 |
21 |
Long Beach St. |
15 |
9 |
.625 |
2 |
36 |
20 |
UCSB |
13 |
11 |
.542 |
4 |
37 |
18* |
Cal Poly |
12 |
12 |
.500 |
5 |
32 |
25 |
UC Riverside |
12 |
12 |
.500 |
5 |
26 |
29 |
Hawaii |
12 |
12 |
.500 |
5 |
23 |
29 |
CSUN |
11 |
13 |
.458 |
6 |
33 |
22 |
UC Irvine |
11 |
13 |
.458 |
6 |
31 |
25 |
UC Davis |
5 |
19 |
.208 |
12 |
17 |
36 |
x–record include one tie |
*–non-conference |
Saturday
*Arizona 6, Hawaii 1
UC Riverside 6, UC Santa Barbara 0
Cal St. Fullerton 2, Long Beach St. 1
Cal Poly 10, UC Davis 5
UC Irvine 7, CS Northridge 6
Today
*Arizona at Hawaii, 1 p.m.
End of Regular Season
Arizona 6, Hawaii 1
WILDCATS |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
Ramer 2b |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Gibbons rf |
5 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Aguilar 1b |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Dalbec 3b/p |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Matijevic dh |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Behnke lf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lewis lf/3b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Oliva cf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Salazar c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
Boyd ss |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
TOTALS |
35 |
6 |
12 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
|
RAINBOW WARRIORS |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
LoCoco cf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Weeks 3b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Sheldon-Collins ss |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Ramirez 1b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Rios c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lopez rf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Doi lf |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Ka’aua dh |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Rojas 2b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TOTALS |
32 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
Arizona (37-20) |
000 |
103 |
101 |
— |
6 |
12 |
3 |
Hawaii (23-29) |
010 |
000 |
000 |
— |
1 |
6 |
4 |
E–Dalbec 2, Boyd, LoCoco, Rios, Rojas, Lopez. DP–Arizona 2. LOB–Arizona 6, Hawaii 8. 2B–Aguilar, Salazar, Ramirez, Doi. 3B–Ramer. HBP–Aguilar. SF–Matijevic, Oliva, Lopez. SB–Aguilar. CS–Oliva, LoCoco. Reached on CI–Lewis.
Arizona |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
Bannister (W, 9-2) |
7 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
Dalbec |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
Hatch (L, 3-7) |
51/3 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
Culp |
22/3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Chew |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Bannister pitched to 1 batter in the eighth
HBP-by Hatch (Aguilar). CI–Rios.
Umpires–(Plate): Mark Jarboe. (First): Bill Barnes. (Third): Scott Letendre.
T–2:39. A–2,370.