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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, April 20, 2001



Rainbows make most of gifts from Owls, 4-2

Advertiser Staff

For a change, it was the opponent's mistakes that were costly.

Two errors and two wild pitches accounted for three of the University of Hawai'i Rainbows' runs in a 4-2 victory against Rice (No. 2 USA Today) and (No. 4 Baseball America poll) in Western Athletic Conference baseball yesterday at Reckling Park in Houston.

The Rainbows' first win at Rice in seven tries kept them alive another day. The Rainbows (19-22, 9-16 WAC) are 11 games back of the first-place Owls (35-12, 20-5) with 11 conference games left.

Trailing 2-0, an RBI single by Matthew Purtell and two errors on the play followed by a wild pitch accounted for a three-run fifth inning against Rice starter Jon Skaggs (8-1). The Rainbows got insurance in the top of the ninth when Cortland Wilson reached first safely on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike. He stole second, and scored on Kevin Gilbride's single.

The comeback was a reward for UH starter Jeff Coleman (5-5), the most consistent pitcher on staff. He pitched his second complete game of the season, allowing five hits, six walks and two runs, while striking out four. He adjusted to an inconsistent strike zone that saw him allow four hits — three of them doubles — and four walks during the first four innings. But from the fifth on, he allowed just three base runners. He retired the last seven batters in a row to end the game.

"He just pitched and let them swing," UH acting coach Carl Furutani said. "He adjusted on his own. He just bulldogged it out there. He did a good job."

Skaggs, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-handed senior who is projected to go high in the draft, allowed seven hits, three walks and four runs (three earned) for his second complete game of the season. But the errors and his two wild pitches were costly. The Owls are sixth in the seven-team WAC in fielding (.958) sandwiched between the Rainbows (.961) and UH-Hilo Vulcans (.957).

The Owls scored in the second inning after a lead-off double by Hunter Brown and an RBI single by Mike Lorsbach. They added another on back-to-back doubles by Brown and Lorsbach to start the fourth inning.

Then came the fateful fifth for Rice. Skaggs walked Gilbride to start the inning, but Brian Bock grounded into a double play. Lane Nogawa singled to left and Arthur Guillen walked. Matthew Purtell then grounded a single to center to score Nogawa as Guillen took third. But center fielder A.J. Porfirio overran the ball, allowing Purtell to take second. Right fielder Lorsbach fielded the ball, but his throw to the infield was wild, allowing Guillen to score and Purtell to take third.

With the game tied at 2 and Gregg Omori at the plate, Skaggs' wild pitch allowed Purtell to score the go-ahead run.

Wilson, who started the season at shortstop and later moved to second base because of fielding problems, made his debut in right field yesterday. He had been the designated hitter the first two games at Texas Christian and was a pinch runner in the third game.

The series continues at 2 p.m. Hawai'i time today. The game will be broadcast live on KCCN AM 1420. UH's Sean Yamashita will face Rice's Kenny Baugh, another projected high draft selection.

HAWAI‘I RICE

ab r h bi ab r h bi
Guillen cf 3 1 1 0 Davis lf 3 0 0 0
Purtell ss 3 1 1 1 Porfirio cf 3 0 0 0
Omori dh 4 0 0 0 Arnold ss 2 0 0 0
Scalabrini 3b 4 0 0 0 Roman 1b 4 0 0 0
Kimura 1b 4 0 2 0 Brown 2b/3b 4 2 2 0
Wilson rf 4 1 1 0 Lorsbach rf 4 0 2 2
Montgomery lf 0 0 0 0 Cunningham dh 3 0 0 0
Gilbride lf 3 0 1 1 Ghutzman c 3 0 1 0
Jackson pr/lf 0 0 0 0 Bryan 3b 1 0 0 0
Bock c 4 0 0 0 Bormastr ph/2b 3 0 0 0
Nogawa 2b 3 1 1 0
Totals 32 4 7 2 Totals 30 2 5 2


HAWAI‘I (19-22, 9-16 WAC) 000 030 001—4 7 0
RICE (35-12, 20-5 WAC) 010 100 000—2 5 2

E—Porfirio, Lorsbach. DP—Hawai‘i 1, Rice 1. LOB—Hawai‘i 4, Rice 7.
2B—Wilson, Brown 2, Lorsbach. SB—Wilson.

Hawai‘i IP H R ER BB SO
SO Coleman W (5-5) 9 5 2 2 6 4

Rice
Skaggs L (8-1) 9 7 4 3 3 6
WP—Skaggs 2.

T—2:09. A—2,425