'Bows win opening series

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

Troy Yoshimasu and Ian Jones turned in solid pitching performances and Lars Hansen belted a timely double to help the University of Hawaii win its season-opening series from the University of San Francisco.

The Rainbows won the series, 2-1, with a four-run, eighth-inning rally that handed the Dons a 5-2 defeat before 1,133 fans at Rainbow Stadium yesterday.

Yoshimasu got his only 1997 victory in the opener against Miami (Fla.), then spent the rest of the season trying to find the strike zone.

Yesterday, the 5-foot-10 junior left-hander out of Castle High School did not walk a batter while fanning four. He was forced out of the game with cramps in both legs in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and Dons at first and second.

Enter Jones, a 5-10 freshman right-hander from Henderson, Nev., making his third consecutive appearance. He induced Troy Nakamura to pop out to shortstop Michael Dartt behind second, ending the Dons' last serious threat of the game.

Trailing 2-1, the Rainbows took advantage of walks to three of their first four batters in the eighth inning.

Left-hander Ryan Yamamoto, San Francisco's second reliever in the inning, came on to face Hansen, who swings from the left side. Hansen said he was not looking for a particular pitch.

"Coach Les told me to take a strike, then look for something to drive," Hansen said. "I just wanted to get it to the outfield to at least get a sacrifice fly. He hung a curve and I drove it."

Hansen's double to the right-center field alley cleared the bases.

Freshman Joe Whitsett, who committed a base-running blunder in the previous inning (he held third instead of scoring the tying run on Dartt's push bunt toward first), singled Hansen home with the Rainbows' fifth run.

Hansen and Yoshimasu played summer ball for the Hawaii Island Movers and developed a good working relationship.

"I don't think he shook me off more than once or twice," Hansen said. "When you work together it keeps things going at a good pace and the defense doesn't sit back on its heels."

Yoshimasu's success came from keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. He threw 101 pitches, but as Hawaii pitching coach Carl Furutani noted, "he was doing it effortlessly."

When the Rainbows recruited Jones, he was told he had the makings of a good middle reliever. As for starting, he was told he would get the opportunity to prove he could handle that job.

"I'd rather be throwing every game right now," said Jones, who has both UH wins. "I'm really lucky. What a weekend."

He had to go to the bullpen twice during the eighth-inning rally to stay loose.

"It was pretty tense watching the guys score runs," he said.

"Jones' history is he's a winner. He comes from a high school that has won five consecutive state championships," Furutani said.

Jones was on the last two Green Valley High School title teams. In 51/3 innings this weekend, he allowed no runs, gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three.

UH coach Les Murakami said, "It was good to play and use a lot of people."

San Francisco head coach Rich Hill said his team missed the timely hit yesterday and pitching is a concern for the Dons.

"The series was good for both teams because of the new players," Hill said.

NEXT UP: The Rainbows play Cal State Sacramento Thursday (6:05 p.m.), Friday (6:05 p.m.) and Saturday (6:35 p.m.).

Rainbows 5, Dons 2

     San Francisco            Hawaii   

              ab  r  h  bi                ab  r  h  bi
 
  Nakamura 3b    3  0  1  0   Blakely cf   4  0  0  0

  Walsh lf     3  0  0  1   Honma rf    3  1  1  0

  Hurtado 2b    3  0  1  0   Millichap dh   2  0  0  0

  Meliah ss     4  0  1  0   Aloy 1b   2  1  1  0

  Omori dh     4  0  0  0   Wheeler 3b   3  1  0  0

  Howard cf     3  0  0  0   Hansen c    3  2  2  3

  Bozied 1b     3  1  1  0   Whitsett lf   4  0  2  1

  McCrary 1b    1  0  0  0   Martin pr/lf   0  0  0  0

  Lum pr     0  0  0  0   Nelloms 2b   2  0  1  0

  Pritchard rf    4  1  2  1   Takamori ph   1  0  1  1

  Evangelho c    3  0  3  0   Pico 2b   1  0  1  0

  Goldfield ph    1  0  0  0   Dartt ss    4  0  1  0

  Totals    32  2  9  2   Totals    29  5  10  5

San Francisco     021  110  000-  5

Hawaii    120  200  24x-11

E-Meliah, Blakely, Pico. DP-USF 4 (Nakamura-Hurtado-Bozied, Meliah-Hurtado-Bozied, Hurtado-Bozied, Hurtado-McCrary), UH 1 (Wheeler-Nelloms-Aloy). LOB-USF 7, UH 7.

2B-Hansen (1). 3B-Honma (1). SH-Nakamura (2), Millichap (1). SF-Walsh (1).

      IP  H  R  ER  BB  SO

Deffner (L, 0-1)    71/3   7  3  3  5  0

Gossert     0  0  1  1  1  0

Yamamoto     0  3  1  1  0  0

Soares      2/3   0  0  0  0  0

Yoshimasu      62/3   8  2  2  0  4

Jones (W, 2-0)     21/3   1  0  0  1  2

Gossert pitched to one batter in the eighth. Yamamoto pitched to three batters in the eighth.

PB-Evangelho. HBP-Hurtado (by Yoshimasu).

Umpires-Ogawa (plate), Montalbo (bases), T-2:49. A-1,133.