Rainbow pitchers
battered by Anteaters
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.com
Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said last weekend he didn't think the Rainbows could play any worse.
They didn't play any better last night in the series opener against UC Irvine before 1,306 fans at Murakami Stadium.
The Anteaters (10-9) came out swinging, collected 14 hits off three UH pitchers and won the first game between the teams in 28 years 8-1.
Brett Smith and R.J. Brown blasted home runs to lead the UCI attack.
Right-hander Bryan Lee had his second consecutive shaky outing for the Rainbows (6-8). The bullpen faltered for one of the few times this season as relievers Sean Yamashita and Chad Giannetti each surrendered two runs in brief appearances. The offense was held in check by UCI junior right-hander Sean Tracey for seven innings.
When Tracey ran into trouble in the eighth inning, loading the bases on a Lane Nogawa single, an error that allowed Gregg Omori to reach base and a walk to Scooter Martines, the 'Bows' frustration only increased.
Jimmy Alstot, a freshman right-hander, relieved Tracey and held the 'Bows scoreless. He fanned Cortland Wilson, got Kevin Gilbride on a first-pitch, infield pop and retired Chad Boudon on a bouncer to first base.
Alstot then struck out the side in the ninth.
"Last Sunday I thought we beat ourselves. Tonight, they just beat us. They did a real good job of taking advantage of every opportunity," said UH coach Mike Trapasso.
"We didn't do a good job on the mound. We left too many balls up and they hit them, hit them hard."
The Anteaters nicked Lee for a run in the first inning as well as the fourth, fifth and sixth.
Jordan Szabo singled to right field on a two-strike pitch and Lee hit Matt Anderson on the batting helmet. Chris Miller sacrificed the runners up a base and Brown's single to left scored Szabo.
Following a visit to the mound by Trapasso, Lee induced Smith to hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Rainbows tied the score with a run in the bottom of the third. Brent Cook muscled an inside pitch off the bat handle into left field for a two-out single. Nogawa followed with a double to the wall in right-center field that scored Cook.
However, in just his 11th collegiate at-bat, Smith, ranked No. 20 in Baseball America's Top 60 Freshman Poll, drove a one-ball pitch from Lee over the right-field wall to put UCI ahead 2-1 in the top of the fourth.
The Anteaters added another run in the fifth, although Lee pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam after the run had scored.
Lee's night ended in the top of the sixth when Szabo bounced a two-out double down the left-field line to score B.J. Eucce from second base.
Hawaii threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Nogawa doubled and Gregg Omori walked to start the inning, but Martines lined out to center and Wilson bounced into a third-to-first double play.
Through six innings, UCI right-hander Sean Tracey held the Rainbows in check, issuing just one walk while fanning five. Other than Cook who scored the UH run, no Rainbow advanced past second base.
UC IRVINE 8, HAWAII 1
| UC Irvine (10-9) |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
Hawaii (6-8) |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
| Szabo rf/lf |
5 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
Cook 3b |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Anderson 1b |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Nogawa 2b |
4 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
| Miller c |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Omori 1b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Brown dh |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Martines dh |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Smith lf |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Wilson ss |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Trejo 2b |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Gilbride rf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Guthrie 3b |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Boudon lf |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Horwitz cf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Bock c |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Eucce ss |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
Symonds c |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Totals |
39 |
8 |
10 |
8 |
Guillen cf |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Montgomery ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
34 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
|
| UC Irvine |
100 |
111 |
220 |
-- |
8 |
14 |
1 |
| Hawaii |
001 |
000 |
000 |
-- |
1 |
8 |
1 |
E--Trejo, Nogawa. DP--UCI 2, Hawaii 1. LOB--UCI 9, Hawaii 9. 2B--Szabo (2), Miller 2 (8), Guthrie (3), Nogawa 2 (4), Wilson (2). 3B--none. HR--Brown (1), Smith (1). SH--Miller, Horwitz. SF--none. SB--none. CS--none.
| UCI |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Tracey (W, 3-1) |
7.0 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
| Alstot |
2.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
| Hawaii |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Lee (L, 2-1) |
5.2 |
9 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
| Yamashita |
1.1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Giannetti |
2.0 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
WP--Tracey. S--none. PB--none. HBP--Anderson (Lee). Umpires--Don Greman (home), Gary Montalbo (first),Jim LeBeau (third). T--2:45. A--2,488.
