No. 8 Texas routs UH baseball team, 10-1

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Texas freshman Kyle McCulloch provided for his team what Hawai'i's three starting pitchers couldn't over the weekend: A quality start.

Texas shortstop Robby Hudson attempts to turn a double play in the third with Robbie Wilder bearing down on him. Texas won to sweep the series. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

A what-did-you-expect turnout of 707 at Les Murakami Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday watched the Rainbows (0-3) get swept in a season-opening series for the first time since Florida did it in 2000.

"I thought the pitcher set the tone," UT coach Augie Garrido said. "He's a freshman making his first start and he pitched with no fear. If he can do it, everyone else can in relationship to their own role."

Meanwhile, UH sophomore Keahi Rawlins (0-1) was tagged for five runs — four earned — in 2 1/3 innings, the shortest stint of all of UH's starters in the series. Friday starter Ricky Bauer and Saturday starter Rich Olsen each went 3 1/3 innings.

"Obviously, the story of the weekend was we didn't pitch well," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

McCulloch allowed two walks and had four strikeouts. He retired 14 of the last 19 batters he faced after giving up a lead-off single to Robbie Wilder in the third inning. It was the last hit he would give up. The five that reached in the final 19 plate appearances walked, was hit by pitch (twice) and reached on errors (twice).

Unlike his counterpart, Rawlins was in a jam in every inning, putting the lead-off batter on in each of the first three innings, when the Longhorns (3-0) totaled five runs. In each case, the lead-off batter of each inning scored.

"He was very tentative today," Trapasso said of Rawlins. "The tempo just killed us. We had zero tempo, which means we're not going to be able to throw strikes (and) we're not going to be able to play defense behind you. As much as we tried to force tempo, he was really, really slow. You can't pitch that way and it kind of sucked the life out of us."

The Rainbows committed six errors, resulting in five unearned runs.

"Against a team like this, you're almost under a microscope to make every play," UH co-captain and first baseman Andrew Sansaver said. "We didn't do it tonight. They just beat us. When we made mistakes, they capitalized and they didn't make too many mistakes."

The Longhorns were aggressive on the base paths, stealing 4 of 6, giving them 10 of 14 in the series.

Curtis Thigpen led UT's 11-hit assault by batting 3 for 3 with two RBIs, while Dooley Prince, Drew Stubbs and Seth Johnston had two hits apiece. Prince scored four runs.

The Rainbows averted the shutout in the ninth against Buck Cody after Matt Goodson pitched a perfect eighth. Hawai'i loaded the bases with an infield single by pinch hitter Pakilika Lum, a walk by Troy Hanzawa and, one out later, a hit batsman for Andrew Castillo. A wild pitch brought Lum home.

Trapasso said there could be some changes in the starting staff, although Bauer will remain in the Friday slot.

"When we get (Mark) Rodrigues, get everything settled, get some freshmen out there some more, we'll have a solid staff," Trapasso said.

Rodrigues, a JC transfer, did not enroll at UH until this semester so he is behind in terms of pitching shape.

Wilder, nursing a hamstring problem, started and was 1 for 3.

Castillo, who went 0 for 3 with the hit batsman, started at second base for Isaac Omura. Trapasso said Omura had played "tentative" in the series. Omura was 0 for 10 in the first two games.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.

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