Rainbows will try to end Rice's win streak
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i baseball team should look at it this way: It has a chance to stop the nation's longest winning streak when it opens a three-game Western Athletic Conference series against No. 1 Rice tonight in Houston.
The Rainbows (17-14 overall, 1-8 WAC) are coming off winning their own Easter Tournament. Meanwhile, the Owls
(29-1, 9-0) are trying to extend a 26-game winning streak. They swept the Rainbows at Les Murakami Stadium March 14-16 by an aggregate score of 29-7.
Game times (Hawai'i) are 3 p.m. today, 10 a.m. tomorrow and 8 a.m. Sunday. The games will be aired live on KKEA 1420 AM.
Nick Ponomarenko, used primarily in relief, will start tonight, UH coach Mike Trapasso said yesterday. Ricky Bauer will pitch tomorrow and Chris George on Sunday.
Ponomarenko (3-0, 3.09) is coming off a strong outing when he pitched 6¡ innings in his second start of the season against Lewis-Clark State at the Easter Tournament. He had the misfortune of being matched against Tournament Outstanding Pitcher Marc Kaiser, who allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in a 10-inning complete-game win.
"He deserves the opportunity," Trapasso said of Ponomarenko. "As long as he stays within himself, he should be all right. He throws three (different) pitches for strikes."
Bauer (2-1, 4.41) is coming off his best start, when he used only 75 pitches in a complete-game win against Western Illinois last week. He allowed a run on six hits with six strikeouts.
George (4-4, 5.33) has lost four consecutive decisions, twice with outings under four innings. He gave up six runs in seven innings is a loss against Rice on March 14.
The top four pitchers in the WAC are Owls starters. Hawai'i will see Nos. 2-4. All pitched against UH in the last meeting.
Philip Humber (7-0, 2.61), who allowed a run in eight innings in a 9-2 win March 15, starts tonight; Randy Niemann (7-0 2.33), who gave up four runs in eight innings in a 9-4 win March 14, starts tomorrow; and Josh Baker (6-0, 2.65), who surrendered a run in seven innings March 16, goes Sunday.
Wade Townsend (4-0, 1.41) is the top pitcher in the WAC, but pitched in an 11-0 win against Houston on Tuesday.
Hot-hitting Matt Inouye, who has split time between the outfielder and catcher recently, will start at catcher tomorrow to give Brian Bock a breather. Bock will start tonight and Sunday. Trapasso said Bock's hitting is affected from the fatigue of catching in consecutive days.
Trapasso said he will have to find a way to fit Inouye in the lineup when Bock starts. Inouye, the Easter Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, is batting .413 (19-for-46) with seven doubles.
Center fielder Tim Montgomery, who has six hits in his last 33 at-bats, did not start the last two games of the Easter Tournament, is expected to start against Rice. Trapasso said the staff has made some adjustments to his stance.
Meanwhile, outfielder/DH Jaziel Mendoza (stress fracture in foot) has been cleared to do some light jogging. If he is OK, Mendoza might return on a limited basis when UH plays at Louisiana Tech April 10-12, Trapasso said. Mendoza has played in only 10 games so far.
