Inouye leads Hawaii over UC Irvine

The UH right fielder goes 5-for-5 and drives in the game-winning run against the Anteaters

Matt Inouye culminated a

5-for-5 evening by bouncing a 1-1 pitch up the middle with the bases loaded to score Derek Dupree with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Hawaii's 4-3 nonconference baseball victory over UC Irvine at Les Murakami Stadium

"I was trying to see a pitch that was up so I could hit a sacrifice fly," said Inouye. "I got a slider middle away and just tried to get my bat on it."

Dupree started the inning with a single to center and moved to second when UCI backup catcher Aaron Lowenstein bobbled Jon Hee's sacrifice bunt that allowed Hee to reach first.

Justin Frash put a perfect sacrifice bunt up the third-base line to move up the runners and Luis Avila was intentionally walked to load the bases.

That set the stage for Inouye to deliver off the fourth UCI pitcher, Blair Erickson, much to the delight of the 1,430 fans at Les Murakami Stadium last night in the opener of a three-game series.

"We were fortunate on the bunt. When Jon first hit it, I thought we were looking at a double play," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

"It was nice to see Derek get the hit to start things because he struggled (at the plate) tonight."

Hawaii starter Steven Wright pitched the first seven innings and equaled his season-opening performance by surrendering just two hits. The right-hander struck out four, but walked four. He also went to a full count on four other Anteaters.

"Steven was rushing at times, but he got the job done, allowed one run in seven innings and I'll take that anytime," Trapasso said.

The Rainbows (4-1) scored two runs in the first inning with some help from UCI starter Justin Cassel.

Hee laced a one-out single to center and moved to second when Frash walked. With Avila at the plate, the runners advanced a base on a passed ball.

Hee scored and Frash took third on a wild pitch. Ball four to Avila also was a wild pitch allowing Frash to come home.

The 'Bows loaded the bases with no outs in the third on a walk to Hee, a Frash single to left and an error by UCI shortstop Chad Lundahl on Avila's grounder up the middle. Inouye's single to left scored Hee for a 3-0 UH lead.

Cassel avoided further trouble by fanning Jorge Franco and getting Esteban Lopez to hit into a third-to-home-to-first double play.

The Anteaters (3-2) matched the Hawaii run in the fourth when Taylor Holiday doubled to center to open the inning. He took third on Ben Orloff's sacrifice bunt and, after Zach Robinson walked on a 3-2 count, scored on a double steal as Cody Cipriano struck out.

Through the first seven innings, the Rainbows squandered numerous opportunities to increase their lead, leaving 11 base runners in scoring position. It cost them in the eighth when the Anteaters tied the score.

Lundahl started the inning with a single over second base and stopped at second on a line single to right by Danny McCarthy. Spike McDougall ran for McCarthy and the runners advanced on a balk by UH reliever Tyler Davis. Holiday's single to deep short scored Lundahl and left the bases loaded.

Darrell Fisherbaugh replaced Davis. The junior right-hander got Orloff to hit into a double play as McDougall scored and then fanned Robinson to end the inning.

The Anteaters threatened in the ninth when Fisherbaugh walked Brock Bardeen with one out and wild-pitched pinch runner Matthew Morris to second. Fisherbaugh recovered to strike out Bryan Petersen and Hee leaped to grab pinch hitter Jaime Martinez's screaming liner to end the inning.

Notes: Don Robbs, the voice of Rainbow baseball since he broadcast the first Hawaii game during the 1977 NCAA Tournament against Southern California at Aloha Stadium, was honored before last night's game. ... UH shortstop Joe Spiers, 0-for-11 last weekend, hit safely in his first three at-bats last night.