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Tuesday, April 25, 2000
Baugh baffles Hawaii
Rainbow batters struggle in
Star-Bulletin staff
4-0 loss as Rice sweeps the
three-game seriesHOUSTON -- What's left in the 2000 Western Athletic Conference season for the struggling University of Hawaii baseball team?
"We'll just try to salvage what we can salvage and win what we can win," Hawaii head coach Les Murakami said last night after the Rainbows were swept by Rice.
Even if the Rainbows were to completely change their ways and win the last nine games, a reality check indicates finishing in first place is out of the question.
UH (22-25 overall, 9-12 WAC) has lost 10 of its last 12 league games since holding sole possession of first place March 19.
Rice's Kenny Baugh scattered nine hits in his second complete-game shutout of the season, a 4-0 WAC victory that dropped UH into fifth place in the standings.
The junior right-hander walked none and tied his season high with 10 strikeouts. He fanned seven of 10 Rainbows in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
"It was just a matter of a future major leaguer on the mound," Murakami said. "Today, Baugh impressed me. And when he had to bring the pressure up, he did. He was excellent.
"We didn't hit when it counted, but maybe it's because their pitcher was so good."
Baugh was still bringing his fastball in the 89-91 mph range in the ninth inning. He was able to compliment that with a good change-up and slider, two pitches that give the right-handed dominated UH lineup trouble.
The Rainbow defense helped Baugh by giving the Owls (28-19, 13-10) unearned runs in the first and fourth innings.
Scooter Martines dropped leadoff batter Brett Smith's fly ball in left field in the first and Smith scored on Eric Arnold's double.
In the fourth, an error by reserve shortstop Trey Richards made it possible for Mitch Ackal to eventually score on Matt Fox's single.
Richards had replaced Rory Pico after the UH shortstop reinjured his left knee fielding a ball in the second inning. This is the same knee Pico had surgery on last year.
"That's a big blow," said Murakami. "A three-quarter (healthy) Rory is better than most guys because he gets to so many balls."
It was the second consecutive game Rich Snider has pitched well and lost. He gave up nine hits. Murakami said Snider only threw three bad pitches.
One was his 121st, which Ackal hit over the right-center field wall for the only homer of the series.
The best example of Hawaii's futility came when Patrick Scalabrini opened the second inning with a double. But he stayed there as Baugh fanned Darin Baker and Rah-Miel Mitchell and got Matt Purtell on a grounder.
The Rainbows have two days to regroup before opening a three-game series at Texas Christian Thursday.
OWLS 4, RAINBOWS 0
HAWAII AB R H BI RICE AB R H BI Mitchell rf 4 0 2 0 Smith 2b 4 1 1 0 Purtell 2b 3 0 0 0 Roman lf 3 1 1 0 Aloy 1b 4 0 1 0 Arnold ss 4 0 2 1 Kimura dh 4 0 2 0 Gray cf 3 0 0 1 Wakakuwa c 4 0 0 0 Scott dh 4 0 0 0 Pico ss 1 0 1 0 Ackal rf 4 2 2 1 Richards ss 1 0 0 0 Sperring 1b 4 0 1 0 Nogawa ph-ss 2 0 0 0 Lukin c 4 0 1 0 Martines lf 3 0 0 0 Fox 3b 4 0 1 1 Scalabrini 3b 3 0 3 0 Baker cf 2 0 0 0 Chan ph 0 0 0 0 Jackson cf 1 0 0 0 Totals 32 0 9 0 Totals 34 4 9 4
Hawaii 000 000 000 - 0 9 4 Rice 100 110 01x - 4 9 0 E-Wakakuwa (9), Pico (14), Richards (1), Martines (3). DP-Hawaii 1 (Scalabrini-Purtell-Aloy), Rice 1 (Smith-Arnold-Sperring). LOB-Hawaii 6, Rice 8.
2B-Mitchell (3), Scalabrini (7), Smith (14), Arnold 2 (18), Sperring (3), Lukin (7). HR-Ackal (3).
SB-Scalabrini (4). CS-Mitchell (4), Scalabrini (1), S-Purtell (2). SF-Gray (3).
Hawaii
IP H R ER BB SO Snider (L, 6-8) 7-1/3 9 4 2 1 2 Yamashita 2/3 0 0 0 0 2
Rice
IP H R ER BB SO Baugh (W, 8-2) 9 9 0 0 0 10 PB-Lukin (6). T-2:11. A-1,714.
WAC STANDINGS
Conference Overall W L Pct. W L Pct. Fresno State 14 7 .667 32 12 .727 San Jose State 14 7 .667 28 16 .636 Rice 13 10 .565 28 19 .596 Texas Christian 9 11 .450 18 27 .409 Hawaii 9 12 .429 22 25 .468 Hawaii-Hilo 6 18 .250 15 28 .349 Yesterday's result
Rice 4, Hawaii 0
Today's games
San Francisco State at San Jose State
San Francisco at Fresno State
Tomorrow's game
Houston at Rice
Thursday's game
Hawaii at Texas Christian, 9:35 a.m.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
