Matadors hammer listless Rainbows, 8-1

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i baseball team lacked a pulse in dropping an 8-1 decision to Cal State Northridge, which clinched the three-game series yesterday.

A Pro Bowl Sunday crowd of 804 at Les Murakami Stadium watched the Rainbows get four hits, saw only three UH runners reach second base and witnessed three UH errors, two of which led to two unearned runs. The Rainbows fell to 1-5, the slowest start since going 1-8 in 1997, when they finished 22-34.

"We just have to turn up the intensity," said UH senior shortstop Brian Finegan. "A lot of guys in the dugout, on the field, didn't even seem like they wanted to be here. That's not the way to play. It's a kids' game. You have to go out there and have fun and play it to the best of your ability."

The same team that rallied from an 8-2 deficit to force extra innings against nationally ranked Texas last week folded after the Matadors (4-2) scored five runs in the second inning against freshman Steven Wright (0-1), who was pulled after 1 2/3 innings.

"When you're down by five when you still have eight at-bats left and to play without energy ... I don't know," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We definitely have to play like it's important to us. We sure didn't act like it today. We didn't have any toughness at all, so we're definitely going to have to get tougher."

Matadors starter Craig Baker (1-0) allowed a run on two hits and four walks with four strikeouts in five innings. Nathan Hochgesang added two scoreless innings, while Cody Campbell and Joe Rocchio each turned in a perfect inning to keep UH off the scoreboard.

The Rainbows' only run came in the second inning, when Jaziel Mendoza led off with a bloop single, stole second with one out, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Creighton Kahoali'i's ground-rule double to left-center. Kahoali'i, a transfer from California, led UH by batting 2 for 2.

The only other UH runner to reach second was Finegan, who led off the sixth with an infield single, then stole second on a called third strike with Matt Inouye at the plate. Finegan ended up stranded there.

Except for one batting change — the left-handed hitting Josh Green replacing the right-handed hitting Greg Kish in right field against the right-handed pitcher Baker — UH had the same team on the field that had 11 runs and 11 hits Saturday night.

"The focus factor is definitely what changed it," said UH first baseman Andrew Sansaver, one of the team's captains. "(Saturday) night, you could tell we were almost flawless in execution. Today, it wasn't even close."

It was an inauspicious starting debut for Wright, a 26th-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in June. He allowed a run on three hits with four strikeouts in a three-inning relief outing in the season opener against Texas.

After being backed in the first inning by a diving catch by center fielder Robbie Wilder, who doubled off the runner at first, Wright got hammered in a five-run second inning. Keith Renno's lead-off home run to left ended 14 consecutive scoreless innings by CSUN in the series. An RBI single by Adam Fleener and a sacrifice fly by Raymond Ravago made it 3-0 with two outs. Quinn Ciccarelli's two-run home run to left ended Wright's day.

Hawai'i's relievers, who have a 2.87 ERA this season, pretty much settled the rest of the game, allowing three runs. But only one was earned because two errors — one by Finegan at short and one by Kahoali'i at third — led to two unearned runs in the seventh.

Ironically, the Rainbows had a better team ERA (2.67 to 3.12) than the Matadors, but CSUN outhit UH, .278 to .209 and outscored UH, 30-19.

Next for the Rainbows is Florida International, picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference. The Golden Panthers lost to Central Florida, 8-6, yesterday and fell to 1-4.

This will be the first meeting between the two programs. The series runs Friday through Sunday.

NOTE: Hawai'i defeated Cal State Northridge, 11-0, Saturday night. A different score appeared in some state editions of yesterday's Advertiser.

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

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