Bryant (5-2) allowed a run on six hits and no walks with five strikeouts to help the Rainbows (7-4 WAC, 22-12 overall) clinch their third consecutive WAC series in front of 1,396 at Les Murakami Stadium.

Hawai'i, which will try for the sweep in today's 1:05 p.m. series finale, remains in sole possession of second, 4ý games behind WAC leader Rice (13-1), a 1-0 winner against San Jose State yesterday. The Rainbows also stayed a game ahead of third-place Nevada (6-5), a 10-8 winner against Fresno State.

"We gotta keep winning," Bryant said. "We gotta win the series. ... To win 35, 40 games, we have to win two out of three out of every series. We keep hitting and we keep pitching, we ought to do that."

"Feels great to go up two wins," said UH third baseman Rocky Russo, who continues to torment LaTech. "We can come out tomorrow and just sweep 'em and get ready for the next series."

Russo has had at least one hit and driven in a run in all five games against the Bulldogs this season.

Clayton Meyer (4-4), who pitched in the Louisiana Tech win against UH in Ruston, was tagged for seven runs on 13 hits and two walks with seven strikeouts for the Bulldogs (3-11, 12-28), who have dropped nine in a row.

Steven Wright pitched a perfect ninth for UH.

Bryant was pulled after the eighth inning despite having thrown 90 pitches. A long top of the eighth inning left Bryant inactive, so UH coach Mike Trapasso felt that with the eight-run lead, it would be better to give Wright some work. He is pegged to start the Wednesday non-conference game at San Francisco.

"He spent a lot of time sitting in the dugout," Trapasso said of Bryant. "It had nothing to do with him. He was throwing great. In fact, initially when he finished the eighth, I said send him out in the ninth. But when he sat a little longer and we got the run, I wanted to give Steven a chance to get an inning and stay sharp. He's going to pitch on Wednesday."

Bryant had to be at his best because while UH posted double-digit hits, it also stranded 16 runners, three shy of the school record set in 1994 at San Diego State. Although Meyer gave up two runs in the third, he wasn't really hit hard until from the fifth, keeping his team within striking distance.

"Truth is, it's funny when you look at nine runs and 15 hits," Trapasso said. "But we left an incredible amount of guys on base and it really felt like we had a lot of missed opportunities, particularly early in the game. I felt we were just letting him (Meyer) hang around and that can make you nervous because all of a sudden, you give up a crooked number and you're in a dog fight. But we never felt a sense of urgency because Stephen seemed to be in control."

Bryant said all of his pitches were working. He lost his shutout bid in the sixth when Mims Boyce led off with a double, took third on a ground out to second and scored on a ground out to shortstop that at the time pulled LaTech to 4-1.

"I'd like to get the shutout, but it's not the biggest deal," Bryant said.

This was Bryant's eighth start and seven of them have been at least six innings in which he has been charged with three earned runs or fewer.

"It's getting late in the season," he said. "I think we have the opportunity to go to playoffs, so right now my focus is just on my pitching and trying to get better, day in and day out."

Isaac Omura and Greg Kish each had three hits for the Rainbows, while Russo continued his success against the Bulldogs by batting 1 for 3, driving in UH's first run of the game with a second-inning sacrifice fly to right. Ironically, he felt his lineout to right with two on and two out was his hardest hit ball of the night.

Andrew Sansaver (2 for 4) and Jaziel Mendoza (2 for 5) had two RBIs each.

Clary Carlsen (6-3, 2.95) will start for UH today. Louisiana Tech has not announced its starter.