Box Score

HONOLULU - Isaac Omura drove in the game-winning run on a sacrafice bunt in the bottom of the 10th inning as the University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (16-14, 2-2 Easter Tournament) beat the Air Force Falcons (10-17, 2-2 ET) 8-7 in front of a crowd of 2,451 at the Les Murakami Stadium Friday to advance to finals of the Rainbow Easter Tournament. Clary Carlsen (2-3) got the win for Hawai`i while Air Force's Scott Mears (1-1) picked up the loss.

Matthew Inouye had a huge game for the 'Bows, going 4-for-4 with three runs, one RBI and two doubles. Omura would end the night 2-for-4 with three RBI while Kevin Gilbride added a 3-for-3 performance with one run while Guy McDowell pitched a great game in relief, going 4.2 innings, giving up no earned runs while striking out four.

Hawai`i would jump out in the bottom of the first inning when Andrew Sansaver hit to right field as Finegan would score on an error to put UH up 1-0.

The Falcons would score two runs in the second, one in the third and another in the fourth to go up 4-1. But the Rainbows would respond in the bottom of the fourth, as Inouye would score on a Falcon error before Omura would drive in a run to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The score would stay there until the Rainbows exploded for a big eighth inning. Brent Cook started it out by scoring on an error before Inouye would hit an RBI-double, scoring Timothy Montgomery to give UH back the lead at 5-4. Omura and Finegan would back-to-back RBI singles later in the inning to give the 'Bows a 7-4 lead going into the ninth inning.

But the Falcons weren't done yet as they would score three unearned runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

Carlsen would stop the Falcons in the top of the 10th to set up the Rainbow offense in the bottom of the inning. Inouye and Gilbride would open the bottom of the 10th with back-to-back singles before Magana would sacrafice them over to put Inouye, the winning run on third base. That was when Omura would come up with his heroics, bunting down the first base line, giving Inouye enought time to score the game-winner and give UH the 8-7 win.

Hawai`i will now face Western Illinois, who upset Lewis-Clark State in the semifinal game played earlier in the day 9-6, at 6:35 p.m. tomorrow night in the Easter Tournament Championship game. Air Force will play Lewis-Clark State in the third place game at 2:30 p.m.

-uh-