Saturday, January 23, 1999
’Bows blank Bruins
Jamie Aloy and two relievers
By Al Chase
open the season with a shutout
of No. 16 UCLA
Star-BulletinThe last-minute switch to wood bats for this weekend's UCLA-Hawaii series reduced both team's power supply and Jamie Aloy made sure the Bruins didn't fire up an auxiliary generator.
The Rainbow left-hander pitched seven shutout innings and two relievers did their jobs as Hawaii defeated 16th ranked UCLA, 3-0, before 1,111 fans at Rainbow Stadium last night.
It was UH's 19th season-opening victory in 25 attempts at Rainbow Stadium and the first opening-day shutout since the 'Bows stopped Nevada-Las Vegas, 11-0, in 1989.
Aloy had two troublesome innings, the second and fifth.
Chase Utley and Bill Scott started the second with singles, but Aloy minimized the potential threat by getting Jason Green to ground into a double play. Forrest Johnson then struck out on a full count to end the inning.
Scott doubled to left to open the fifth, the only ball reaching the outfield wall all night. Green flew out after failing to sacrifice, Johnson grounded out and Aloy struck out Matt Pearl for the final out.
"I think there was only one time I wasn't on the same page with Jamie and all he wanted was a different location for a pitch," UH catcher Lars Hansen said. "It was fun catching him because he throws so many strikes. It makes my job real easy. Even Ian (Jones) and Richard (Snider) came in and threw strikes."
Jones pitched a perfect eighth inning and Snider earned the save with a four- batter ninth.
"We couldn't advance a runner one time and didn't play real good little ball," UCLA coach Gary Adams said.
"The difference was zero walks (Aloy) to five walks (for UCLA starter Ryan Carter). Giving up five walks in five innings isn't going to win too many ball games. We got what we expected from Aloy. He didn't beat himself."
Aloy threw 103 pitches, three over his pregame limit. He went to a full count four times and notched a strikeout on three of those occasions. Only once, in the fifth inning, did UH coach Les Murakami consider taking him out.
"It's a good start for him for not having pitched very many innings," Murakami said. "If they had tied it up I would have taken him out, but then we scored and he breezed through the sixth."
Aloy participated very little in fall practice while recovering from a lower back injury suffered playing summer ball.
Fastballs and change ups are Aloy's bread and butter although he did throw one knuckle ball. His strength is changing the location of his pitches, being consistently around the strike zone and using a wide range of speeds anywhere from 73 to 86 or 88 miles per hour.
"I just tried to keep them off balance," Aloy said. "Offensively, I couldn't concentrate (four strikeouts), but I got one job done."
The Rainbows broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning. Matt Wheeler drew a walk on a full count after fouling off four pitches. He took second on Wakon Childers' single to right. Hansen then sent a soft, looping liner to right that first base umpire Gary Montalbo ruled was trapped by Johnson, allowing Wheeler to score.
A one-out walk to Michael Dartt led to a fifth-inning run. He stole second easily and scored on Kenn Wakakuwa's single up the middle.
Wakakuwa had fanned on full counts his first two at-bats, but made an adjustment on his third trip to the plate.
"Using wood and jumping into a big game like this, I was swinging too hard," said Wakakuwa, in his second tour of duty with the 'Bows after transfering from Seminole State (Okla.) "Coach Dave (Murakami) told me to just try an hit the ball to the right side."
"He has quick hands and was trying to pull it," Dave Murakami said.
Les Murakami said he didn't think wood bats gave either team an advantage.
"They are heavier and you're not going to powder the ball, not until you get used to them. I'd love to use wood bats all the time," the UH skipper said.
Hansen said he didn't swing the wood bat very well last summer (in the Cape Cod League), but it was an advantage having used wood before. He feels he swings a wood bat better than a metal one.
Wood certainly didn't bother UCLA's Jack Santora, who had three of the Bruins' six hits.
UH left-hander Randon Ho starts today's 1:05 p.m. game against UCLA left-hander Bobby Roe.
AMAZING: With the victory, Murakami's 1,015th, he and Adams have combined for a total of 2,000 collegiate wins.
Rainbows 3, Bruins 0
UCLA Hawaii ab r h bi ab r h bi Lyon, cf 3 0 0 0 Takamori rf 4 0 1 0 Hymes ph 1 0 0 0 Dartt 2b 1 1 0 0 Santora ss 4 0 3 0 Wakakuwa 1b 4 0 2 1 Atkins 1b 4 0 0 0 Aloy p-dh 4 0 0 0 Utley 2b 4 0 1 0 Wheeler 3b 2 2 1 0 Scott lf 3 0 2 0 Childers lf 4 0 1 0 Green c 3 0 0 0 Baker cf 4 0 1 0 Johnson rf 3 0 0 0 Hansen c 4 0 1 1 Pearl dh 2 0 0 0 Miller ss 2 0 0 0 Baron ph 1 0 0 0 Shelley 3b 3 0 0 0 Totals 31 0 6 0 Totals 29 3 7 2 UCLA 000 000 000--0 Hawaii 000 111 00x--3E--Shelley (1), Takamori (1).DP--UCLA 2 (Carter-Santora-Atkins, Green-Santora-Atkins), UH 1 (Miller-Dartt-Wakakuwa). LOB--UCLA 4, UH 8.
2B--Scott (1). SB--Dartt (1). SF--Dartt (1).
IP H R ER BB SO Carter (L, 0-1) 5 4 2 2 5 7 Brandt 3 3 1 0 0 4 Aloy (W, 1-0) 7 5 0 0 0 8 Jones 1 0 0 0 0 0 Snider (S, 1) 1 1 0 0 0 0WP--Carter (1), Brandt (1).Umpires--Ogawa (plate), Montalbo (first), LeBeau (third).
T--2:31. A--1,111 (turnstile), 2,377 (tickets issued).
