Box Score

HONOLULU -- Ricky Bauer pitched seven innings and got two innings of relief from Darrell Fisherbaugh to help the Rainbows hold off The Citadel, 6-3, Thursday night in the First Hawai`i Title Rainbow Baseball Tournament at Les Murakami Stadium.

Hawai`i (12-7) scored a run in the first and third innings. Third baseman Jaziel Mendoza jacked a triple off Bulldog starter Griff Beckham that scored leadoff batter Robbie Wilder in the first. Catcher Matt Inouye doubled to score Isaac Omura in the third to give the Rainbows a 2-0 lead until the sixth when Greg Kish singled to left field to score Rocky Russo and Mendoza to put Hawai`i up 4-0.

Beckham was replaced by Evan Burgess after five and two-thirds innings. Bauer pitched a perfect game through four and one-third innings before giving up his first hit of the game to Bulldog designated hitter Chris Altman, a single up the middle.

Citadel head coach Fed Jordan was ejected from the game in the bottom of the fifth with two outs, apparently for something he said to home plate umpire Jim LeBeau. The action sparked a Bulldog rally in the eighth.

Bauer left the game after walking the first batter and giving up a single to shortstop Matt Matulia. Fisherbaugh entered the game and struck out the next two batters, but gave up a walk to load the bases. A few pitches later, Citadel shortstop Josh Stackley tripled to right field to bring the Bulldogs to within one.

The Rainbows answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth and Fisherbaugh, who earned his first save of the season, retired the side in the top of the ninth to end any hope of a Citadel comeback.

The win put the Rainbows in the driver's seat as the top seed in the tournament bracket play that begins tomorrow. Second-seeded Citadel (4-5) plays third-seeded Oregon State at 2 p.m., while Hawai`i meets fourth-seeded Chicago State at 6:35 p.m.

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