UH second baseman Jody Napuunoa turns the pivot on a double-play.
Photo by Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

UH knew last night's game didn't count in the season standings. But try telling Greg Millichap that his first Rainbow Stadium home run didn't matter. Or Robby Robinson that his best pitching outing in a month sort of didn't happen.

"Anytime you win is good," said Hawaii coach Les Murakami. "We know that Nittaidai has to be pretty good. Most people only know about the 'Big Six' in Japan, but Nittaidai is one of the better teams there."

The Rainbows were hoping to shake off the aftereffects of a lost weekend against Western Athletic Conference rival Fresno State, in which they were outscored 36-12 in three defeats.

"We were kind of down," senior Chris Garnett said. "Mentally, this game meant a lot. We needed to win to get our positive attitude back."

Garnett, who is batting a team-leading .388 in games that do count, sparked a three-run eighth inning with an RBI double, tying the game at 2-2. Jody Napuunoa later walked with the bases loaded and Keoni Hansen executed a suicide squeeze bunt for the go-ahead and insurance runs.

If not for the late rally, Murakami said the loss would have been hard to take because of the way Hawaii gave up the run that put Nittaidai ahead 2-1.

Hironori Morikawa - who drove in Nittaidai's first run in the fifth with a single - reached on a walk to lead off the eighth. He then scored on a play that looked like something out of a bad Little League game.

Morikawa stole second on the second pitch to Kazutoyo Abe, and advanced to third on catcher Kenn Wakakuwa's wild throw. But that wasn't the end of it - center fielder Neal Honma's throw to third bounced between Michael Dartt's legs and eluded Robinson's backup effort, rolling into the dugout. Morikawa trotted home.

"We pride ourselves on defense," Murakami said. "But lately we haven't been playing well in the field. We're doing a lot of things that just aren't characteristic of us."

The Rainbows also had problems solving Nittaidai pitcher Masahide Kobayashi, considered one of Japan's top three college pitchers.

Hawaii was hitless until the fifth, when Wakakuwa touched Kobayashi for a sharp single to right. But in the seventh, Millichap belted the first pitch he saw over the right-field fence, and Napuunoa followed with a rocket into the right-field corner.

"My location was good and I kept them off-balance most the game," said Kobayashi, through interpreter Makoto Miyabukuro. "But then I threw a split-finger fastball that didn't drop (to Millichap)."

Kobayashi got out of the seventh, but reliever Eiji Koeda fell victim to the Rainbow rally . A single by Honma and a walk by Robert Medeiros set the stage for Garnett and friends' RBIs.

"(Kobayashi) wasn't tired," Nittaidai coach Masashi Uehara said through Miyabukuro. "It's our normal pattern to use Koeda in that situation, especially with left-handed hitters coming up."

Freshman left-hander Troy Yoshimasu, who relieved Robinson in the eighth, got the victory.

"Troy's showing a lot of heart and character now. It looks like he's adjusted from high school," pitching coach Carl Furutani said. "And Robby showed me something tonight. He hasn't been consistent, but he's getting close."

Robinson threw 110 pitches, including one that broke the wooden bat of Tateshi Urayama in the first.

"It was fun pitching against guys using wood," Robinson said. "That's how ball should be played. I was surprised I broke one."

Tonight, the Rainbows play Hawaii-Hilo at 6:35 p.m. left-hander Randen Ho is scheduled to start for the hosts against the Vulcans' Brendan Sagara.

Afternoon games pitted Lewis-Clark State against Oregon State and Wright State vs. Nittaidai.