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Saturday, April 29, 2000

Suspensions,
injuries add to
’Bows’ woes

Hawaii loses key players,
another game to TCU

Star-Bulletin staff

FORT WORTH, Texas - Injuries and suspensions left the University of Hawaii baseball team with just 15 players suited up for yesterday's game.

The result was predictable.

Texas Christian broke the game open with a three-run sixth inning en route to a 7-1 Western Athletic Conference victory.

It was the seventh consecutive defeat for the Rainbows, the longest skid since a nine-game losing streak in 1997.

If they lose again today, the Rainbows would have to win their final six games against Hawaii-Hilo just to finish at .500.

The victory was the Horned Frogs' 1,500th since the school began playing baseball in 1896.

For the third consecutive game, the opposing pitcher - in this case Shawn Thompson - pitched a complete game against Hawaii.

Before the game, Rainbow head coach Les Murakami suspended a number of players for breaking team rules the night before.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 prevents Murakami from saying how many players were suspended, who was suspended or for what specific reason they were suspended.

"We have team rules because I'm responsible for these kids,'' said Murakami. "I'm like a surrogate father.

"If I don't enforce the rules, then why have rules?"

The one-game suspensions left Murakami with just one batter in the lineup hitting over .300.

Sophomore left-hander Aaron Pribble, with nine relief appearances, was the designated hitter.

Freshmen Brian Bock and Nate Jackson, neither of whom has seen much action recently, started behind the plate and in center field, respectively.

Pribble and Jackson each had two hits, half the Hawaii total.

Pribble also scored the only run when he walked after being down two strikes in the count.

Matt Purtell's bunt single and Rah-Miel Mitchell's two-out single to right brought Pribble home.

"Pribble was the star. He did everything," Murakami said. "He seems to have some bat speed.

"I'm going to play him again tomorrow. If I had brought him in to pitch earlier, maybe he would have won the game."

But by the time Pribble did take the mound, TCU was ahead, 7-1. He pitched 1-1/3 innings of one-hit ball.

Murakami even used relief pitcher Manuel Olivera in left field the last three innings to get another left-hander in the batting order.

Gavin Garrick was the surprise starter for UH. He gave up doubles to start the third and fourth innings, which the Horned Frogs turned into single runs.

Garrick did escape from a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth by throwing a double play ball.

"I was very satisfied with Gavin,'' said Murakami. "He'll get stronger the more he starts. He's throwing 88-89 mph now."

HORNED FROGS 7, RAINBOWS 1

HAWAII	AB	R	H	BI	TCU	AB	R	H	BI
Purtell 2b	3	0	1	0	Groomer 3b	5	0	3	1
Nogawa ss	4	0	1	0	Macha ss	5	1	3	0
Kimura 1b	4	0	0	0	Hamilton 1b	2	0	0	1
Mitchell rf	4	0	1	1	Rogers dh	3	2	1	0
Scalabrini 3b	3	0	0	0	Bates rf	3	1	3	2
Bock c	3	0	1	0	Reed rf	0	0	0	0
Jackson cf	4	0	2	0	Price c	4	1	1	1
Richards lf	2	0	0	0	Wilson cf	4	0	1	0
Olivera ph-lf	2	0	0	0	Rivera lf	4	2	2	1
Pribble dh-p	3	1	2	0	Moses 2b	4	0	1	0
Totals	32	1	8	1	Totals	34	7	15	6

Hawaii	001	000	010 - 1	8	0
Texas Christian	001	103	20x -7	15	0

E-None.

DP-UH 1 (Scalabrini-Purtell-Kimura). TCU 1 (Thompson-Macha-Hamilton). LOB-UH 8, TCU 7.

2B-Bock (5), Macha (11), Rogers (6), Rivera 2 (5). 3B-Macha (7), Bates (2). HR-Bates (4).

SB-Macha (12), Rivera (3). CS-Mitchell (5), Groomer (6). S-Purtell (2), Bates (3). SF-Hamilton (2).

Hawaii

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Garrick (L, 1-1)	5	10	4	4	1	1
Yamashita	1-1/3	4	3	3	1	1
Pribble	1-2/3	1	0	0	0	0

Texas Christian

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Thompson (W, 6-4)	9	8	1	1	3	6

Garrick pitched to two batters in the sixth inning.

WP-Thompson (7).

Umpires-Johnston (plate), Eldridge (first), Ridd (third). T-1:58. A-312.

WAC STANDINGS

	Conference			Overall
Team	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.
San Jose State	15	7	.682	30	16	.652
Fresno State	14	8	.636	33	13	.717
Rice	13	10	.565	30	19	.612
Texas Christian	11	11	.500	20	27	.426
Hawaii	9	14	.409	22	27	.449
Hawaii-Hilo	6	18	.250	15	28	.349

Yesterday's results

Texas Christian 7, Hawaii 1
San Jose State 7, Fresno State 3
Rice 3, Dallas Baptist 0

Today's games

Hawaii at Texas Christian, 8:05 a.m.
San Jose State at Fresno State
Dallas Baptist at Rice

Tomorrow's games

San Jose State at Fresno State
Hawaii Pacific at Hawaii-Hilo (2), noon

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UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii