TEMPE, Ariz. » It was basically a lose-lose situation for Hawaii junior Alex Capaul.

His team was already trailing 6-0 in the second inning when he was called on to face Arizona State, the No. 1 team in the country.

The Sun Devils blitzed Hawaii starter Josh Slaats for six runs in 1 1/3 innings, and a lineup featuring five guys hitting .350 or better and more than 100 stolen bases was licking its chops for more.

An early home run by Raoul Torrez didn't deter Capaul, who took a step forward in becoming a key component of the Rainbows starting staff in 2011.

“;I think he can use that for confidence and something to build on,”; Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “;He came in and located, he came in and competed and that's what you have to do.”;

Capaul's final line isn't one to brag about. Ten hits and six runs allowed in seven innings isn't going to cut it on a weekly basis.

But considering the situation and the team he was facing, it was an admirable outing for a kid who was highly recruited out of Lake City High School in Idaho.

After Torrez's home run, Capaul retired 11 of the next 13 batters he faced and put three straight zeros on the board to keep UH in the game as long as he could.

“;One through nine they can take you deep, so you just have to locate and keep them off balance in this park,”; Capaul said. “;There's no question they are the best team we've played.”;

Capaul has been brilliant at times this year, firing a seven-hit shutout against Fresno State and allowing four earned runs in a total of 16 1/3 innings against Pac-10 teams Oregon, Oregon State, Southern California and Stanford.

He leads the team with six wins.

Speed kills

It took one at-bat to get a glimpse of the Sun Devils' athleticism.

Leadoff hitter Drew Maggi forced Greg Garcia into an error, blazing down the first-base line to beat out an infield grounder hit two steps to Garcia's right.

Maggi immediately stole second, one of four for the Sun Devils, who have 127 steals this season.

They also forced Slaats to commit an error on a pickoff throw at first, helping ASU to a 4-0 first-inning lead.

“;The talent they have is speed up and down the lineup,”; Trapasso said. “;They are relentless on the bases.”;

Six of ASU's nine starters have at least nine stolen bases, including Maggi, whose season total of 34 is the third-most in school history.

Johnson gets one more

After dislocating his shoulder against Sacramento State in mid-April, senior Christian Johnson wasn't sure he'd get to play college baseball again.

Since the Rainbows made a regional, Johnson got enough time to make a comeback, pinch-hitting for the second time in two days. He laced a single up the middle in the ninth inning off of ASU reliever Jimmy Patterson.

Arizona is familiar territory for Johnson, who spent two years playing at Central Arizona Junior College about an hour away.