Baseball Rainbows defeat No. 28 Coastal Carolina

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

It might not have looked like it, but the University of Hawai'i pitched better than it appeared in a 6-2 non-conference win against Coastal Carolina last night.

Hawai'i pitchers gave up eight hits and a season-high nine walks in snapping a three-game losing streak in a game that lasted 3 hours, 12 minutes — the third longest of the season — in front of 650 at Les Murakami Stadium.

"We really played well defensively and really played well offensively from an execution standpoint," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "It might have been one of our best days, as far as moving guys over, getting our bunts down and getting the two-out hits. But we have to do a better job pitching. We have to get ahead.

"But the truth is, we made the pitches when he had to and we only gave up two runs. It's a big win for us to get back on track, get our feet underneath us and beat a ranked team."

The Chanticleers (18-5), two-time defending Big South champions, are ranked 28th by Collegiate Baseball.

The Rainbows improved to 14-9.

UH freshman Rich Olsen (2-1) made his starting debut, allowing a run on four hits and three walks in three innings. Since the number of innings he was to pitch was predetermined, he was credited with the win despite not pitching the minimum five innings usually necessary to get a victory.

"He was throwing too many pitches up in the zone," Trapasso said. "But his stuff was good. His curve ball was good, although he didn't throw it too much for strikes."

But Olsen's performance wasn't convincing enough for Trapasso to commit to a weekend start against Nevada just yet.

Nick Ponomarenko pitched the middle three innings, giving up a run on two hits and five walks, and Clary Carlsen finished with three scoreless innings for his fifth save.

Jeff Hurry (4-1) gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in 4¡ innings for the Chanticleers.

Matt Inouye had two of UH's seven hits, both doubles. He started in right field for the left-handed-hitting Josh Green. Part of the move was because Hurry is left-handed and that Green has been struggling at the plate, Trapasso said.

"He needed it more mentally, a day to just sit and take rest and watch," Trapasso said of Green, who is hitting .253. "We need to work the plan. It worked out great because Matt had two big hits for us."

Hawai'i nursed a 2-1 lead before getting two in the sixth on a squeeze by Isaac Omura and sacrifice fly by Brian Finegan.

After Coastal Carolina got a run in the top of the seventh to pull to 4-2, UH made it 5-2 in the bottom of the inning on Inouye's RBI double and 6-2 in the eighth on Finegan's RBI double.

The mini-series ends tonight with a 6:35 game. Freshman Reid Horton will start for UH against Coastal's Steven Carter (3-1). Horton pitched four innings in a start against Matsusaka of Japan in an exhibition game last week.

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