UH sports
Rainbows rally past UH-Hilo, 6-4

Advertiser Staff

Gregg Omori drove in four runs to lead Hawai'i over Hawai'i-Hilo, 6-4, in an interisland Western Athletic Conference baseball game last night at Hilo's Wong Stadium.

Omori had a two-run double in a three-run sixth inning for UH, and a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning for the Rainbows (24-27, 11-20 WAC), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Vulcans (5-40, 3-28), who led 1-0 after five innings and 4-3 after seven, dropped their 15th consecutive game.

"We came out kind of flat," UH acting coach Carl Furutani said. "During the middle of the game, it felt like Sacramento."

He was referring to the Rainbows' late-game rally at Sacramento State on May 1. The Rainbows got off the plane, drove to Sacramento and played. Because of finals and last-minute papers yesterday, the Rainbows arrived in Hilo on staggered flights, with some players just getting in close to game time, Furutani said.

Jeff Coleman (7-6) allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks in eight innings. Bryan Lee pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.

"Coleman wasn't really on his game," Furutani said. "But he battled."

Sergio Reyes (2-3), who came in for starter Zeb Watts with one out in the eighth, gave up Omori's home run. It was Omori's team-leading 10th of the season.

Watts, who allowed four runs and six hits in 7¡ innings, held the Rainbows hitless after four innings. Danny Kimura's one out single in the fifth broke up the no-hitter.

The Rainbows trailed 1-0 before tagging Watts for three runs in the sixth on Omori's double and Patrick Scalabrini's RBI single.

But the Vulcans tied it in the bottom of the sixth on Keola Park's two-run home run to right.

The Vulcans regained the lead in the seventh when Todd Jinbo led off with a single, took second on Darren Chu's sacrifice, went to third on a ground out to second and scored on Mike Hobbs' single to right.

But the Rainbows took the lead in the eighth on Omori's home run. They added an insurance run in the ninth when Matthew Purtell was hit by a pitch from Robert Shimabuku with the bases loaded.

The series continues today at 4 p.m. Chad Giannetti (4-5) will pitch for the Rainbows against the Vulcans' Ben Siff (1-7).

Notes: Patrick Scalabrini's sixth-inning steal of second base was the Rainbows' 100th for the season. ... With UH's victory, the Rainbows own an 88-15 lifetime advantage over the Vulcans.