Box score

Mesa, Ariz. – At the 2011 WAC Tournament, the University of Hawai'i baseball team was defeated by Fresno State, 11-5. The Rainbows drop their first game of the tournament and fall to 33-24 overall, while the Bulldogs (39-14) remain undefeated. 

Jarrett Arakawa (5-3) received the loss in his first postseason start. He pitched three complete innings allowing six runs on five hits. Josh Poytress (7-2) earned the win for the Bulldogs in five innings of work allowing two runs on nine hits. 

Kolten Wong had two hits and two RBI for UH, who now plays Saturday in an elimination game against Louisiana Tech. Pi'ikea Kitamura posted one hit and two RBI, and Garrett Champion added two hits and two runs. 

The damage was done early by the Bulldogs. After Arakawa walked the first two batters of the game, Dusty Robinson (2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI) crushed a homerun over the left centerfield wall to give FSU a 3-0 lead. Fresno padded its lead one inning later. Kenny Wise (2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) hit FSU's second homerun of the game, a two-run shot just inside the right field foul pole to increase the lead to 7-0. 

The Rainbows finally got on the board when they plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. A pair of RBI-singles by Kitamura and Wong helped UH cut into the lead.

FSU added another run but the 'Bows continued to chip away. In the eighth, Kitamura was issued a bases loaded walk and Wong drove home Jesse Moore (1 H, 2 R) from third to cut the Bulldog lead to 8-5. FSU responded with three more runs to pull away. 

First pitch between Hawai'i and Louisiana Tech is set for 3:00 p.m. PT (12:00 p.m. HT).



                                                                                    -UH-