It is scratch-and-claw time for the Hawaii Rainbow baseball team. Rainbows get
another chance at
top-ranked OwlsBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comHawaii was off to a decent start when Rice came to town a couple of weeks ago to open Western Athletic Conference play and the Owls burst the Rainbows' bubble.
UH coach Mike Trapasso said after the three-game sweep by Rice that he wasn't sure his players realized just how good the Owls are. Or that, if they did, they wouldn't be in a funk.
However, the Rainbow players did get down on themselves and didn't reverse their attitude until a closed-door team meeting prior to the final two games in the Rainbow Easter Tournament.
The Rainbows and the rest of the collegiate baseball world know what the 2003 Owls are all about now. Rice is No. 1 in every poll, has won 26 consecutive games and has a 29-1 record, unheard of this deep into the season.
The Owls have won seven one-run games during the streak. They have also shown how they can dominate a series, such as last weekend, when they swept three games from San Jose State by a combined 41-4 score.
This is what the Rainbows are looking at when they return to WAC competition this week in Houston. Hawaii plays single games tomorrow night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
"The thing you hope for is that for the first time in a couple of weeks we seemed to overcome some adversity and battle through it, especially Friday night," said Trapasso, referring to UH's 10-inning victory over Air Force in the Easter Tournament semifinal.
"It seemed to buoy our kids because the overall attitude we had on Saturday was reminiscent of what we had the first month of the season. I think we'll go to Houston and play with pride and try to get after it."
The Rainbows (17-14, 1-8 WAC) cannot afford to make mistakes in this series and must immediately pounce on any Rice mistakes if they hope to score runs. The Owls lead the WAC in batting, pitching and fielding, all by substantial margins.
An example is Rice's 2.39 earned run average. UH is next at 3.86.
One decision Trapasso has mulled all week is his starting rotation. Chris George and Justin Cayetano did not pitch well in the tournament, and neither has won a game since the first week of March, when the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans provided the opposition. Ricky Bauer's superb effort came against Western Illinois, a team of free-swinging hitters that played to his strengths. That was his first victory since the UCLA series, which opened the season in February.
Kevin Gilbride, the starting designated hitter in the final two tournament games, took advantage of his opportunity with four hits. The Rainbows can use another left-handed hitter with Jaziel Mendoza out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right leg.
Matt Inouye also played well in the tournament, and Trapasso said the freshman will be in the lineup somewhere. Inouye, who has played all three outfield positions and catcher, could be back in center field if the adjustments to Tim Montgomery's swing take time to produce results.
"We have to play well and battle them. We have to continue to compete no matter what the score is," said Trapasso.
Notes: UH first baseman Andrew Sansaver has hit is six consecutive games. ... The Owls lead the series with UH 22-5. ... All three games will be broadcast live on KKEA (1420-AM). Broadcast times are 3 p.m. tomorrow, 9 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.
UH Athletics
