Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 24 University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (42-14) survived their first elimination game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (33-24) 8-2 on the third day of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Pete Beiden Field Friday. Ian Harrington (8-3) pitched a complete-game, allowing two runs on nine hits with five strikeouts to get the win. Jericho Jones (5-4) took the loss for Tech.

Justin Frash led the way, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Jonathan Hee while 2-for-4 with three runs. Luis Avila added a 2-for-5 game with a double and a run while Derek DuPree was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run.

Frash put the Rainbows on the board in the first inning, driving in Robbie Wilder to make it 1-0. DuPree and Frash then drove in back-to-back runs in the third to extend UH's edge to 3-0.

The `Bows added another run in the fourth to push their advantage to 4-0. That was a lot for Harrington, who took a no-hitter through four and a third innings before giving up two-consecutive hits to threaten with runners on the corners and just one out. But Harrington induced two ground-outs to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Bulldogs again threatened in the bottom of sixth, putting two runners on. But Hee came up with a diving stop on a ball hit between first and second, throwing out the batter to end another potential Tech rally. Hee then led off the top of the seventh with a single before making his way around to score on a single by Frash, putting the Rainbows up 5-0.

Louisiana Tech would finally get on the board with a runs in the seventh and eighth innings, pulling the deficit back to 5-2. But the Hawai`i bats gave Harrington some insurance runs in the top of the ninth. DuPree drove in a run before Esteban Lopez hit a two-run single that put it out of the Bulldogs' reach at 8-2.

Hawai`i will now face Nevada at 7 p.m. (4 p.m. HST) in another elimination game. The winner will play Fresno State at 11 a.m. (8 a.m. HST) tomorrow in the championship bracket.

-UH-