Pilots in Hawaii

Tsunami preparations drive Portland Pilots baseball team to evacuate Hawaii hotel

Anticipating the tsunami headed for Hawaii, the Portland Pilots baseball team evacuated its hotel in Honolulu last night, a UP contact says this morning.

Erik Oreschak, who is in Portland and works with the UP sports information department, says the team left its hotel shortly after beating the Rainbows last night. It was not immediately clear where the players and coaches went, he said, but UP will provide updates as they are available.

There is no word yet on whether the Pilots remaining games in Hawaii -- scheduled for tonight, Saturday and Sunday -- will be affected.

Below is a recap of Thursday's game:

HONOLULU, Hawaii --- Portland sophomore RHP Chris Johnson tossed 7.0 innings of two hit ball and the Pilots scored three runs in the ninth inning en route to a 5-1 victory over the Hawai’i Rainbows Thursday night at Les Murakami Stadium in front of 2,434 fans. The Pilots snap a four-game skid with the win.

Johnson (1-0) turned in one of the finest starts of his young career for the Pilots (7-4) with his performance, holding the Rainbows (5-8 ) to just two hits in 7.0 innings. The only two hits Johnson allowed were back-to-back singles with one out in the fourth inning. The Edmonds, Wash., native retired the final eight batters he faced and finished with six strikeouts and one walk. His ERA falls from 8.00 to 5.06 with the strong outing.

The Pilots added a few insurance runs in the top of ninth inning. Senior OF Tyler Thompson notched a pinch hit RBI single off reliever Blair Walters. Thompson and senior OF Craig Smith swiped second and third on a failed hit and run before senior 2B Riley Henricks singled to right field to give the Pilots a 5-1 lead.

Portland started the scoring back in the second inning. Senior 3B Matt Mardesich reached base when he was hit by a Matt Sisto (0-2) pitch.

Following a Rainbows’ error, senior infielder Kevin Armijo singled through the right side of the infield to put the Pilots on top 1-0.

The Pilots added another run in the third when freshman Turner Gill drove in Henricks, who had drawn a one-out walk and stolen second base.

Hawai’i put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Kolten Wong notched the first hit of the game for the Rainbows with a single to right field. After advancing to third on a single, Wong scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Blake.

Sisto lasted 6.2 innings for the Rainbows, allowing four hits and two runs, one earned. The Rainbows starter struck out five but also walked five.

After Johnson, the Pilots turned to a trio of relievers. Senior Brent Miller retired the only two Rainbows he faced with groundouts. After redshirt-junior Keeler Brynteson issued a walk, senior closer Chris Dennis finished the eighth with a strike out. Dennis then pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Portland entered the game with five stolen bases on the season but the Pilots turned up the aggressiveness on the base paths, going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases in today’s game. Armijo, Henricks, and Thompson each stole one base while Smith swiped two.

Portland redshirt-junior RHP Owen Jones (1-0, 2.76 ERA) takes the mound against the Rainbows’ RHP Connor Little (1-0, 2.60 ERA) for the second game of the series on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. Pacific time.

Tsunami over in Hawaii, Portland Pilots back to business of baseball

University of Portland baseball coach Chris Sperry called from Hawaii on Friday afternoon and said conditions there were sunny, warm and “a lot like you see on the travel brochures” as the Pilots prepared to play the second game in their four-game series with the Hawaii Rainbows.

Sperry and the Pilots were among the guests of the AQUA Aloha Surf Hotel who evacuated about midnight Thursday as a precaution following a tsunami warning across Hawaii that was issued in the wake of an 8.9-magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan.

The team spent the night at sophomore pitcher J.R. Bunda’s home in Waihawa and a church across the street from the Bunda home before returning to the hotel about 9 a.m. Friday.

“People are pushing their kids in strollers on the boardwalk and playing in the water and on the beach,” Sperry said. “You’d never know anything happened.

“We evacuated just to be safe. I felt that was best with a bunch of kids that I’m responsible for. And we were very fortunate to have one of our players that is from this island. His family was just outstanding and organized vehicles to come and get us last night.

“We were miles away from the worst conditions that hit the island. We were in no jeopardy where we were. And when we got back this morning, there already were playing in the surf and you’d never know anything happened.

“I don’t know how far or how high the water got around here, but the shops and the restaurants at the boardwalk level are all open this morning and there’s no water damage or anything.”

The University of Hawaii campus serves as an evacuation site during emergencies, so there was no chance of flooding at Stan Murakami Stadium.

“It’s on ground that’s high enough that nothing like this could get to it, so they’re just fine there,” said Sperry, whose team opened the series with a 5-1 victory Thursday.


-- Jim Beseda