RAINBOW BASEBALL
Wright’s stuff holds Lions to 1 hit
LOS ANGELES » Steven Wright was the master yesterday, dominating the Loyola Marymount Lions with a career-high 10 strikeouts, no walks and just one hit.
The junior right-hander pitched Hawaii's first complete game of 2006 as the Rainbows (7-2) won 3-1. It was the opener of a three-game, nonconference series at LMU's Page Field.
It is the first time a UH pitcher has thrown a one-hitter on the mainland. The last nine-inning one-hitter by a Rainbow at home was spun by Andrew McNally against Washington State on March 11, 1993.
Wright said he had no indication he was going to have the kind of outing he did while loosening up in the bullpen, and had to make a quick adjustment once in the game
"At first, I didn't feel like I had anything going for me," Wright said. "Then I found out the mound was higher than normal and did not have a slope. I had to adjust to keep my pitches down."
Wright gave up a one-out double to center by A.J. LaMonda in the first inning. LaMonda stole third and scored on a two-out fielding error by shortstop Joe Spiers.
Just two Lions (2-6) reached base after the first inning. DeAndre Miller was hit by a pitch in the third and Brian Wilson was safe on a throwing error by Spiers in the fourth.
Wright, who moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation this year, retired the final 16 Lions and 20 of the last 21.
"My main pitches were the fastball and slider," said Wright, who threw 104 pitches.
"I have an idea of how Coach K (pitching coach Chad Konishi) is going to approach the hitters. In the end we just kind of go with the flow with what is working that day.
"I just try to take every inning as if the score is nothing-nothing. I don't worry about the score. I just have to take care of what I do."
His earned-run average dropped to 1.17. Wright has allowed just six hits in 23 innings this season.
"Steven got ahead in the count and forced contact. Everything was good," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
Wright was matched against LMU sophomore right-hander Brad Meyers, named one of the top 10 prospects in the Cape Cod League last summer.
"I thought Meyers was pretty solid. We did a nice job against him. We were able to scratch and claw. We needed to because the Lions played a pretty solid game," Trapasso said.
The 'Bows tied the score in the second inning when Jon Hee doubled down the left-field line, took third on Jorge Franco's sacrifice bunt and scored on Esteban Lopez's single to center.
Robbie Wilder, who went 4-for-5 yesterday and is 8-for-10 in his last two games as UH's leadoff hitter, beat out an infield single toward third and continued to second on Casey Gordon's throwing error.
Derek Dupree's grounder to second moved Wilder to third and he scored the go-ahead run on Luis Avila's single to right.
Wilder started the fifth with a triple down the right-field line and scored when Dupree hit another grounder to second.
"We played some small ball and it worked," Trapasso said.
Two left-handers are scheduled to start today. Ian Harrington will go for UH and Daniel Macias for LMU.
Hawaii 3, Loyola Marymount 2
Hawaii |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
LMU |
AB |
R |
H |
BI
|
Wilder lf |
5 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
Miller cf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Dupree cf |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
LaMonda 1b |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Frash dh |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Farris 2b |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Avila 1b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Herrera ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Hee 3b |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Carter 2b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Franco rf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Soto ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Lopez c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Johnson rf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Christensen 2b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Petit lf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Spiers ss |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Wilson dh |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Wright p |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Dovel c |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
Glomb ss |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gordon 3b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Totals |
34 |
3 |
11 |
3 |
Totals |
29 |
1 |
1 |
0
|
Hawaii |
|
|
011 |
010 |
000 |
|
-- |
3 |
11 |
2
|
LMU |
|
|
100 |
000 |
000 |
|
-- |
1 |
1 |
2 |
E--Spiers 2, Gordon, Meyers. DP--LMU 2. LOB--Hawaii 9, LMU 3. 2B--Hee, LaMonda. 3B--Wilder. SH--Franco. SB--Miller, LaMonda. CS--Spiers.
Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Wright (W, 2-0) |
9 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
10
|
LMU |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO
|
Meyers (L, 0-2) |
7 1/3 |
9 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
4
|
Beal |
1 2/3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
HBP--by Wright (Miller).
Umpires--Mel Gatson (plate), Matt Stellges (first), Dan Ignoaci (third).
T--2:07. A--568.