UH settles for baseball split with Portland

By Fred Guzman

Lack of consistency has plagued the University of Hawaii baseball team this entire season. There have been big wins over nationally-ranked opponents such as Oregon and Texas, and puzzling losses to far less-talented opponents.

This weekend, we got a chance to see both faces of this unpredictable crew as UH split a four-game home series against Portland.

On Sunday, pre-season all-American Kolten Wong slugged a pair of homers – including a walk-off blast in the bottom of the 10th inning — for a 6-5 win over the Pilots. Wong also delivered a two-run shot in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5.

The win improved UH’s season record to 7-9. The past weekend’s games marked the start of a seven-week, 27-game homestand, which continues with a four-game series against Centenary that opens Friday.

On Saturday, UH appeared on the verge of playing its most complete game of the season andwas enjoying a 6-2 lead. But the Bows fell apart down stretch, suffering a 10-7 defeat.

UH had three errors, two wild pitches, two walks, a hit batter and a passed ball over those disastrous final two innings.

Hawaii struggled with consistency in the first two games of the series, as well. The Bows managed just four hits in Friday’s 5-1 loss and bounced back with a 5-3 win on Saturday.

SOFTBALL: The Rainbow Wahine lived up to their No. 14 national ranking yesterday by posting another pair of victories to claim the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha softball tournament.

UH defeated South Dakota State 3-1 in the first game and then rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Miami of Ohio 8-2 in the nightcap. The victories improved Hawaii’s overall record to 20-5.

Bouncing back from the disappointment of losing out on a no-hitter and a victory by allowing a game-winning homer in the seventh inning in a 1-0 loss to Longwood on Friday, Stephanie Ricketts left no doubt on Saturday.

Hawaii’s right-handed ace tossed a five-inning no-hitter in a 9-0 rout of South Dakota State. Ricketts struck out six and walked two.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Hawaii staged a block party Saturday at The Stanley. UH registered 18 blocks in a 25-16, 25-23, 25-23 victory over Pacific a night after need four sets to defeat the Tigers in four games. The wins improved Hawaii’s records to 10-9 overall and 8-6 in the MPSF.

DIVISION-II HOOPS: BYU-Hawaii advanced to tonight’s regional final of the NCAA Division II national basketball tourney in Allensburgh, Wash., facing Dixie State of Utah. The winner of the all-Pac West title showdown advances to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass. That event tips off on March 23.

The teams split during the regular season, each winning on the other’s home court. BYUH won 83-61 in St. George Utah on Jan. 27 and Dixie State won in Laie 99-96 in double overtime Feb. 26.

On Friday, the Seasiders avenged a season-opening 27-point loss to 15th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hill with an 83-76 victory. BYU-Hawaii followed that up with a100-91 win over Alaska-Anchorage on Saturday behind Jet Chang’s 26 points and Rory Patterson’s 22.