The answer was obvious yesterday to the 1,662 at Rainbow Stadium who endured a four-hour clinic on how not to pitch and play defense.

Amazingly, the Rainbows almost got a split in their season-opening series against the No. 4-ranked University of Miami, which tried its best to give it to Hawaii by yielding seven runs in the last three innings.

Miami held on to win, 13-11, as Robert Medeiros flied out with the bases loaded to end a three-run ninth-inning rally.

"(Miami reliever Eddie Reyes) took something off his fastball," said Medeiros, who had two strikes. "It was in the strike zone, so I had to offer."

After scratching to win the first game Thursday night behind Andrew McNally's tough pitching, the Rainbows produced enough offense in each of the other three games to win, but with a big "if" - if they'd gotten at least some of the same kind of hurling and steady glove work.

"Even before the game starts, we're behind," said Hawaii coach Les Murakami, who endured watching the Rainbows build a huge early deficit for the second game in a row. "But after everything that happened, it came down to the last out. I'm proud of the way we came back."

Yesterday's loss may have been the most blatant example of UH's lack of stopping power at this point. The Rainbows used almost every way in the book to fall behind, 12-2, in the first six innings.

They yielded the long ball. Part-time players Aubrey Huff and Jimmy Gutierrez, the seventh and eighth batters in Miami's lineup, rocked UH freshman left-hander Dusty Bergman for homers.

Bergman and three relievers walked 11 Hurricanes, threw five wild pitches and committed a balk. Hawaii made three errors leading to three unearned runs.

Don't forget the running game. Miami stole five more bases, and leadoff man Ryan Grimmett is lucky the Hurricanes don't play again until Jan. 30 - his legs need the rest after 11 stolen bases over a very long weekend for Rainbow catcher Lars Hansen.

Shortstop Key Voshell is also happy to put this one behind him. He made five errors in the series, including two more yesterday.

Freshman Sean Murphy solidified himself at third base. The Mid-Pacific graduate drove in five runs yesterday with two triples and a single, and was 7-for-16 for the series. He also made all the plays on some hot shots sent his way by the Hurricanes.

"We're definitely going to hit this season," Murphy said. "If we get some pitching we'll be in good shape. We can play with ranked teams."

Leftfielder Neal Honma also had three hits yesterday and is tied with Murphy with a team-leading .438 batting average.

"We showed we can come back," Honma said. "That's what we'll take out of this series."

Next up for the Rainbows: No. 2-ranked UCLA this weekend.

		Miami				Hawaii
		ab	r	h	bi			ab	r	h	bi
Grimmett cf	4	3	2	2	Honma lf	5	1	3	2
Hill ss		4	1	1	1	Masanda 2b	3	1	1	0
Burrell 3b	2	1	0	1	Medeiros dh	5	1	2	0
Michaels rf	3	0	0	0	Millichap rf	4	2	1	1
Walker ph-rf	2	0	1	1	Voshell ss	2	1	0	0
Jacomino lf	3	2	2	1	Dartt ss	2	1	1	0
Smith lf	2	0	0	0	Murphy 3b	5	2	3	5
Esquivel dh	3	2	1	2	Perreira 1b-c	4	0	1	2
Alvarez ph	1	0	1	0	Hansen c	2	0	0	0
Huff 1b		4	1	1	1	Aloy ph-1b	3	1	1	0
J. Gutierrez 2b	5	3	2	2	Blakely cf	4	1	1	0
M.Lopez-Cao c	4	0	1	0	Nakano ph	1	0	1	1
						Takemura pr	0	0	0	0
Totals		37	13	12	11	Totals		40	11	15	11

Miami	321	033	001--13
Hawaii	000	202	313--11

2B-Grimmett, Walker, Alvarez, Medeiros. 3B-Murphy 2, Aloy, Blakely. HR-Huff (1), J. Gutierrez (1). SB-Grimmett 3 (11), Hill (5), Millichap (3). S-Huff, Medeiros. SF-Jacomino, Honma, Perreira.

			IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Spassoff (W,1-0)	5	5	2	2	2	6
Gil			2/3	1	2	2	1	0
Petretta		1	4	3	1	0	2
A. Lopez-Cao		1	1	1	1	1	0
Reyes			1-1/3	4	3	0	1	1
Bergman (L,0-1)		3	3	6	5	4	1
Yoshimasu		2-2/3	6	6	4	6	0
Spurgeon		1/3	0	0	0	0	0
Binkie			3	3	1	1	1	3

T-4:09. A-1,662.

Umpires-Randall, Pedersen, Gilmore.