Rodrigues gets his first UH win

Having to wait two years made Mark Rodrigues' first Rainbow victory that much sweeter.

The left-hander pitched two-hit ball for seven innings to lead the Hawaii baseball team to a 3-1 victory over UC Irvine in yesterday's final of the nonconference series before 962 fans at Les Murakami Stadium. The Rainbows (5-2) have won their first two series of the season.

After his first year at Los Medanos Junior College, Rodrigues turned down a chance to go pro with the Oakland Athletics, who drafted him in the 37th round. He opted to come home and pitch for UH instead.

He did that after the 2003 season, but redshirted in 2004 with an elbow injury. It led to Tommy John surgery that spring. It took from then until last fall for the Kauai resident to complete his rehab and pitch again.

Rodrigues did not walk a batter, struck out two and threw three balls to a batter just three times. He allowed only one Anteater to get into scoring position.

"I felt like I had pretty good command. I was pretty effective with the fastball (38 strikes)," said Rodrigues. "Getting the first batter out is big with this club (the Anteaters) because they like to create action (on the bases)."

Rodrigues retired the first two batters in six of seven innings and the side in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth as UH nursed a 1-0 lead.

Robbie Wilder got things started in the first with a one-out double down the left-field line. He went to third on Jon Hee's grounder to first and scored on Luis Avila's single to left.

The Rainbows let another scoring opportunity slip away in the fourth. Hee reached on a throwing error by UCI first baseman Cody Cipriano. Avila and Justin Frash followed with singles to left, loading the bases with one out.

After falling behind 3-0 in the count, UCI starter Glenn Swanson recovered and got Jorge Franco to hit into an inning-ending double play. Swanson left after five innings, having allowed five hits and no walks.

The Rainbows scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning off two UCI relievers.

With one out, Hee reached on a throwing error by Cipriano, who had made a diving stop of Hee's ground shot, but ended up throwing his glove and ball to reliever Chris Lopez covering. Lopez juggled both and the ball fell to the ground.

Frash scored Hee with a line triple off the right-field wall that missed being a home run by less than a foot.

"When I hit it I said I think I've got it (a homer), but I still can't drive through (the ball) the way I want to," said Frash, who bruised his left shoulder sliding into third in the second game of the San Diego State series. "The ball had too much topspin on it. If it had backspin it would've gone out."

Franco then hit a slow bouncer up the third-base line that Tyler Vaughn threw wide of first, allowing Frash to score for a 3-0 UH lead.

"It was a heck of a series. I told the players they should be pleased and proud to win a series against a very good Irvine team. We were winning while we know we still have things to work on," Rainbow coach Mike Trapasso said.

"Mark had good life on his pitches. He got outs when he forced contact and he did a better job of staying within himself."

The Anteaters (4-3) spoiled the shutout in the ninth when closer Darrell Fisherbaugh, who pitched the eighth, walked Taylor Holiday, then hit pinch hitter Sammy Donabedian with a 3-2 pitch.

Rich Olsen relieved and got the save after Holiday took third on a wild pitch and scored on Jaime Martinez's sacrifice fly.

Notes: UH senior outfielder Matt Inouye sat out yesterday with a muscle strain in his back. ... Jared Pate, a freshman right-hander from Punahou, was in uniform for the Anteaters, but is sidelined temporarily with tendinitis in his right shoulder. ... The 'Bows play Hawaii Pacific tomorrow at 6:35 p.m.