Hawaii Wins Opener, Faces Fresno State Today

By Fred Guzman

Matt Sisto regained his pitching touch yesterday, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the University of Hawaii baseball team.

The ace of the Rainbows staff had been struggling badly of late, allowing 22 runs over his previous 16.1 innings.

But the 6-foot-4 right-hander put on a dominant performance in yesterday’s opening game of the Western Athletic Conference tournament in Mesa, Arizona.

Sisto allowed one unearned run over seven-plus innings, scattering five hits and walking one, while leading the Rainbows to a 2-1 win over San Jose State and its hard-luck ace, Esteban Guzman.

The victory enabled top-seeded UH to advance to a critical winner’s bracket game today against second-seeded Fresno State, which opened with a win over LaTech.  The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m., Hawaii time.

After seven scoreless innings yesterday, the Rainbows struck first when Pi’ikea Kitamura ripped a double to left-center, scoring Garrett Champion and Breland Almadova.

Lenny Linsky walked two batters in the ninth, but got out of the jam with a game-ending strikeout to earn his 13th save, tying the single-season school record set by Craig Tucker in 1991.

The Rainbows, who split an earlier four-game series at Fresno State, will start lefty Jarrett Arakawa against the Bulldogs.