LIVE BLOG: Pepperdine 10, Hawaii 5, F

Hawaii will try to get out of Malibu with a split against Pepperdine today as junior Kyle Von Ruden is on the bump. UH will obviously need more than the one run it has put up in the last two games. Von Ruden could be pitching for the opportunity to start one of the three games at Minute Maid Park next weekend. With Quintin Torres-Costa struggling and the team only playing three games in Houston next week instead of four, a good outing by Von Ruden could vault him in the top three of the rotation for next week with Torres-Costa coming out of the bullpen. We shall see.

LINEUPS

Hawaii
Jacob Sheldon-Collins, SS
J.J. Kitaoka, 2B
Kaeo Aliviado, CF
Jordan Richartz, DH
Eric Ramirez, 1B
Alan Baldwin, RF
Alex Sawelson, 3B
Chayce Ka’aua, C
Jonathan Weeks, LF
RHP Kyle Von Ruden (1-0, 2.38 ERA, 11 1/3 IP, 9 K)

Pepperdine
Brandon Caruso, RF
Hutton Moyer, 2B
Aaron Barnett, C
Brad Anderson, 1B
Nick Costello, 3B
Chris Fornaci, DH
Chase Lambert, LF
Manny Jefferson, SS
Jeremy Goldenetz, CF
LHP Ryan Wilson (1-0, 0.69 ERA, 13 IP, 11 K)

TOP 1: Kitaoka with a nice at-bat as he reaches after seven pitches on an infield single to third. He doesn’t go anywhere as Aliviado strikes out and Richartz grounds out to the pitcher, Wilson, who throws 20 pitches in the inning.

BOTTOM 1: Great start by Von Ruden, who starts off Caruso with a four-pitch strikeouts and takes only nine pitches to sit down the first three Waves.

TOP 2: Good sign for Sawelson, who swings at the first pitch for a two-out single. Ka’aua follows with a single to left and UH has a couple of runners on base for Weeks, the No. 9 hitter, who hits a hard grounder to short. Jefferson makes a diving stop to save a run but can’t throw anybody out as the bases are loaded. Sheldon-Collins pops up to the second baseman in shallow right and UH leaves the bases loaded. That leadoff spot without Ventimilia has hurt the ‘Bows these last three days, for sure. Wilson at 40 pitches, however.

BOTTOM 2: Von Ruden gives up his first hit as Anderson singles to center but he’s erased when Costello hits into the 4-6-3 double play. Nothing here for the Waves.

BOTTOM 3: Jefferson hits a one-out double first-pitch swinging. Goldenetz with an easy ground ball to short and Sheldon-Collins boots it. Now he hurries the throw to first and it gets away, allowing Jefferson to score from second. Ugly play from Sheldon-Collins. Just like Saturday, in what is shaping up to be a good pitching duel, UH gives up the first run because of an error. Sheldon-Collins hit with an error on the bobble and an error on the throw. Von Ruden strikes out Moyer to end it. Von Ruden looking very sharp, yet he’s behind 1-0.

TOP 4: Ramirez rips a ball off the wall to start the inning but is thrown out 9-4-6 at second trying to stretch it into a double. 62 pitches for Wilson, who has six strikeouts through four.

BOTTOM 4: Two quick outs for Von Ruden before giving up back-to-back doubles on 3-2 counts as Fornaci drives in Costello to make it 2-0. Von Ruden with the strikeout to end the inning.

TOP 5: Ka’aua leads off with his second hit of the game and Weeks moves him over with a bunt. Sheldon-Collins pops out to center and Kitaoka reaches on a slow grounder. Pitcher misses the tag on the base and everyone is safe. Runners at the corners for Aliviado, who is frozen on a nasty 2-2 curveball to end the inning.

BOTTOM 5: Von Ruden starts off with four straight balls and now both Trapasso and the trainer are out to check on him. Von Ruden took a ball off his right foot in the last inning on a hard-hit ball by Anderson. Von Ruden will stay in. Jefferson takes off for second immediately and Ka’aua hoses him at second. Caruso with a two-out single to center. Von Ruden out of the inning. 73 pitches now for Von Ruden but nine of his 13 pitches in the inning were balls. Wonder if that foot is indeed bothering him.

TOP 6: Richartz draws a leadoff walk and Ramirez is ahead 3-0 but pops out to short. A wild pitch and Richartz scampers all the way to third. Baldwin gets enough of a ball to fly out to right to score Richartz and UH cuts the lead in half. Wilson at 98 pitches.

Von Ruden is done after 73 pitches. Wonder if that foot is bothering him. Final line 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Solid outing again. That will lower his ERA. Andrew Jones in for the sixth. Jones looked really good in an inning of work yesterday.

BOTTOM 6: Jones falling behind early and the Waves are making him pay. Barnett singles up the middle and Costello drills a 2-0 pitch to right for a single to put runners on first and second with one out. Trapasso out to a mound and he takes out Jones quickly. Not messing around here. Cody Culp in and strikes out Fornaci swinging. Lambert falls behind 0-2 and fouls off two pitches. Now it’s three straight balls to make it 3-2. Foul pop on eight pitch of at-bat. High chopper to third and Lambert beats the throw. Infield single loads the bases for Jefferson. Culp strikes him out looking to end it. Big pitch there.

Wilson with two more strikeouts in the seven of Weeks and Sheldon-Collins. He’s at 110 pitches through seven with eight strikeouts.

BOTTOM 7: Goldenetz leads off with a single. Caruso drops a bunt and Culp fields it cleanly but throws it over Ramirez’s head at first. Brutal mistake as the Waves have runners on second and third with nobody out. Moyer rips a double inside the line at first and two runners score. Barnett drops a single into shallow center and this is getting real bad real quick. Anderson’s RBI groundout makes it 5-1. Fornaci with a two-out single past Sawelson at third drives in Barnett and it’s 6-1. Two of the four runs are unearned as UH falls apart. Juliene Jones in to get the final out.

Kiko Garcia in for Wilson, whose final line is: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K.

TOP 8: Kitaoka leads off with a triple for his second hit. Aliviado draws a six-pitch walk. Richartz just misses an extra-base hit down the left-field line but comes back with a base hit to left to drive in Kitaoka. 6-2 with nobody out. Ramirez rips a single up the middle and the bases are loaded with nobody out. Baldwin drops a hit into left and Aliviado scores. It’s now 6-3 with the tying run on first. Five in a row reach base against Garcia, who doesn’t record an out. Chandler Blanchard in for the Waves. Sawelson with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 6-4. One out for Ka’aua, who hits a deep drive to the wall in left but it’s caught at the base. Ka’aua just missed it. Weeks sends a 2-2 pitch into center for a hit and Ramirez scores to make it a one-run game. Sheldon-Collins bounces out. Hawaii within one but down to final three outs.

BOTTOM 8: Juliene Jones stays in the game for UH. Thought they might go Valencia or Pigg with it a one-run game now. Jefferson grounds out on first pitch. Goldenetz follows with a single and Caruso singles on a 3-2 count to put runners on first and second for Moyer. Moyer draws a four-pitch walk. That’s it for Jones. Valencia in. Valencia gets the grounder to first. Ramirez to second for one. Throw back and Barnett beats it. A run scores. UH can’t turn the double play. Anderson follows with a three-run jack to center and that’s that. 10-5.

Hawaii down quickly 1-2-3 and that’s the ball game. Bad loss to end a disappointing series that started off so well.