HONOLULU – On a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, the University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (31-25) fell to the second-seeded Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (29-20) 4-3 on the first day of the NAPA Auto Parts Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament in front of a crowd of 2,935 at Les Murakami Stadium Thursday. Sam Spangler (5-3) took the loss, allowing two runs in 2.0 innings. John Anderson (7-3) picked up the win for LTU.

 

Kevin Fujii led the way for UH, going 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run and one stolen base. Matt Roquemore was 2-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and a run, with Sean Montplaisir going 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Kolten Wong had one RBI and a stolen base. Jayson Kramer pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just one earned run in the no-decision.

 

The Rainbows got started early, as Wong drove in a run in the top of the first to put UH ahead 1-0.

 

Fujii then came up with his second hit of the game, driving in Roquemore to extend the Rainbow lead to 2-0. Montplaisir then made a big defensive play in the bottom of the fourth, finishing a F72 double play, throwing out the Tech runner at the plate to keep the Bulldogs off the board.

 

But LTU quickly made their move. They scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, then got a big home run from Devon Dageford in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game at 2-2.

 

UH took the lead again in the top of the eighth as Fujii came around to score on wild pitch, giving Hawai`i the 3-2 edge.

 

But Tech's Clint Ewing came up with the big blast in the bottom of the ninth, hitting two-run homer to left, giving the Bulldogs the 4-3 victory.

 

The Rainbows will now play Nevada tomorrow at 11 a.m. in an elimination game. Louisiana Tech faces New Mexico State at 7 p.m. with Fresno State playing San Jose State at 3 p.m.

 

-UH-