GAME 2: Hawaii 1, No. 8 UCSB 0

Fifteen hits and seven runs. That’s all the Hawaii offense has come up with over the last four games combined.

To be fair, UH had to go up against UCSB super stud, Dillon Tate, who lived up to the hype as the top collegiate pitching prospect in the country in Friday night’s 5-0 win over the Rainbow Warriors.

The Gauchos have two chances now to win their first series against Hawaii in the Big West. The good news for UH is junior Tyler Brashears has been on a roll as of late. The right-hander has lowered his ERA to 2.20 this season and has given up more than one earned run only once in his last seven starts.

LINEUPS

UCSB 30-9, 7-3
Andrew Calica, CF (.317, 6 2b, 2 3b, 30 runs)
Peter Maris, 3B (.292, 7 2b, 18 runs)
Luke Swenson, RF (.348, 6 2b, 4 3b, 18 RBIs)
Robby Nesovic, 1B (.362, 8 2b, 34 RBIs)
Cameron Newell, LF (.366, 8 2b, 2 3b, 3 HR, 23 RBIs)
Woody Woodward, 2B (.330, 7 2b, 11 RBIs)
Austin Bush, DH (.333, 1 2b, 2 HR, 6 RBIs)
Clay Fisher, SS (.263, 4 2b, 1 3b, 18 runs)
Campbell Wear, C (.179, 2 2b, 1 HR, 14 RBIs)
LHP Justin Jacome (6-1, 2.61 ERA, 72 1/3 IP, 61 K)

Hawaii 14-24, 5-7
Stephen Ventimilia, 2B (.244, 5 2b, 1 3b, 17 runs)
Alan Baldwin, RF (.280, 4 2b, 2 3b, 1 HR, 14 RBIs)
Kaeo Aliviado, CF (.250, 6 2b, 1 3b, 4 HR, 24 RBIs)
Alex Sawelson, DH (.292, 4 2b, 14 RBIs)
Eric Ramirez, 1B (.301, 4 2b, 26 RBIs)
Marcus Doi, LF (.227, 2 2b, 10 runs)
Chayce Ka’aua, C (.265, 7 2b, 16 runs)
JJ Kitaoka, 3B (.211, 3 2b, 1 3b, 1 HR, 17 RBIs)
Jacob Sheldon-Collins, SS (.244, 3 2b, 1 3b, 7 RBIs)
RHP Tyler Brashears (5-4, 2.20 ERA, 65 1/3 IP, 50 K)

TOP 1: Three up, three down, 10 pitches, eight strikes for Brashears, who gets off to a good start.

BOTTOM 1: 1-2-3 inning for Jacome, who is a presence on the mound at 6-foot-6.

TOP 2: Nesovic with a leadoff single. He gets to third on a bunt and a passed ball but is stranded as Doi goes crashing into the fence in foul ground in left to make the catch.

BOTTOM 3: Hawaii gets its third hit in 12 innings against UCSB as Ka’aua hits a first-pitch curveball from Jacome into left-center for a leadoff single. Kitaoka bunts Ka’aua into scoring position and then Sheldon-Collins with a great eight-pitch AB before lifting a shallow pop to right that falls for a hit. Ka’aua had to wait for it to drop so he ends up at third. Runners at the corners for Ventimilia. Looked like UH may have tried a squeeze bunt on a 1-1 count but the pitch almost hits Ventimilia, who strikes out swinging on a ball outside and low. Huge K for Jacome who then blows a fastball past Baldwin to end the inning with a second consecutive strikeout.

TOP 5: Six in a row retired by Brashears after giving up a leadoff single in the fourth. Gauchos with only two hits. Brashears are 61 pitches through 5 with three strikeouts and no walks.

TOP 6: Gauchos catch a break as Kitaoka commits an error for the third straight game, allowing Wear, the No. 9 hitter, to reach base to lead off. Looks like it rattles Brashears, who throws four straight balls to Calica who was going to bunt. Danger time with 2-3-4 coming up for UCSB. Maris bunts the runners up 90 feet for Swenson, who hits a grounder to Sheldon-Collins at short. He tries to go to third to get Wear going back to the bag but he’s called safe. Swenson reaches first. Loaded for Nesovic who gets robbed at third. Kitaoka makes up for the error with a great diving stop and he throws home to just get Wear by a step for the second out. Newell hits into a fielder’s choice at short as Sheldon-Collins goes to second for the third out. Unbelievable job by Brashears to get out of that.

BOTTOM 6: One-out single for Ventimilia and UCSB catches another break. Ventimilia takes off on a 2-1 pitch and Baldwin hits a liner down the line in left that goes just foul. Would have been a run as Ventimilia was almost at third when that ball landed. Baldwin flies out to left. Ventimilia didn’t get a good job but just gets in there to steal second and get into scoring position. Aliviado breaks an 0-for-22 skid on the very next pitch with a single to right and Ventimilia speeds into home for the first run.

Brashears with a six-pitch seventh inning. He’s only at 85 pitches.

TOP 8: Brashears gives up a two-out single to Maris and Trapasso wastes no time going to Torres-Costa to face the left-handed hitting Swenson. Great start for Brashears, who gives up three hits in 7 2/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Torres-Costa gets the groundout.

TOP 9: Nesovic with a leadoff single and is lifted for a pinch runner. JJ Muno moves to second on the bunt. Torres-Costa hits Woodward with a pitch to put runners on first and second. UCSB bring up Scott Quinlan as a pinch hitter. Torres-Costa strikes out Quinlan and gets Fisher to fly out to center to end it. Fourth save for QTC.