Baseball Rainbows beat San Francisco, 4-1
Advertiser Staff
Four University of Hawai'i pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Rainbows beat San Francisco, 4-1, in non-conference collegiate baseball game yesterday at Benedetti Field on the USF campus.
The Rainbows (11-3), winners of four in a row, have matched last year's road win total (when they were 1-18) in their first game away from Les Murakami Stadium. The Dons (4-12) have lost six straight.
Hawai'i heads to Fresno State to prepare for a three-game Western Athletic Conference series opener starting tomorrow.
Yesterday, freshman Keahi Rawlins pitched the first two innings, allowing a single and an unearned run in the first inning, with four strikeouts. Nick Ponomarenko (3-0) and Rich Olsen followed with three scoreless innings apiece before Clary Carlsen sealed the victory in the ninth for his fourth save.
Ponomarenko gave up three hits and Olsen allowed a walk. Carlsen allowed an infield single, but erased that with a game-ending double play.
"No doubt, we won that game with pitching," said UH coach Mike Trapasso, who was particularly pleased with Ponomarenko's stint. "Nick threw pretty well, as far as his stuff. It's the best he's thrown (so far this season)."
Trapasso, however, was not happy with the way his players took pregame batting practice. Because of the shallow dimensions down the lines (320 feet to left and 315 feet to right) at Benedetti Field, the Rainbows were trying to pull the ball out of the park.
"It was not a mature batting practice," Trapasso said. "Down the lines are very short, so we weren't letting the ball travel. (Instead we were) trying to jack the ball out of the park. It affected our game bats as well. We told our guys regardless of the dimensions, stick to our plan of execution. Let the ball travel, hit the ball to all fields. We struggled with that early in the game."
The Dons took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before the Rainbows took the lead for good with two in the top of the third. Jaziel Mendoza singled to right, took second on the first of three Brian Bock sacrifices, and scored on Isaac Omura's ground single to center. After Brian Finegan flied out to left, Omura scored when Brent Cook reached on a two-base error by left fielder Joe Jacobitz, who dropped a fly ball.
Hawai'i would not score again until the eighth on a one-out, solo home run to right by Josh Green — his first of the season — to make it 3-1. The Rainbows added another in the ninth as Bock singled to right with one out and Omura followed with a bunt single to third. Third baseman Khamis Zananiri fielded Omura's bunt and threw wildly to first, allowing Bock to score an unearned run.
"It wasn't a pretty game," Trapasso said. "But a win on the road is something you don't take for granted and we're happy with that."
NOTES: The Rainbows play at 4:35 p.m. Hawai'i time tomorrow at Fresno State. The game will be broadcast live on KKEA 1420 AM. ... Chris George (4-0) and Justin Cayetano (2-1) will start for UH tomorrow and Saturday, respectively. ... Coach Mike Trapasso still hasn't decided on Sunday's starting pitcher. ... Trapasso said although Nick Ponomarenko and Rich Olsen pitched three innings each yesterday, neither threw a lot of pitches and should be available for relief duty tomorrow.
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