Rainbows get 15 hits in rout of Panthers
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Greg Kish had only one of the University of Hawai'i's 15 hits, but it was a telling one in the Rainbows' 14-6 romp over Florida International last night.
Kish's two-run single ignited a five-run second inning, one of four multiple-run innings by the Rainbows (2-5), whose wins have come when they have scored in double digits. It happened in front of 980 at Les Murakami Stadium.
The Golden Panthers (1-5), a preseason pick to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference, have lost three in a row.
Ricky Bauer (2-1), who had poor run-support last season resulting in a 3-5 mark despite a 3.12 earned run average, was backed with double-digit runs for the second consecutive time. He went eight innings, allowing six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He used 75 pitches and was backed by three double plays.
Kish's at-bat came after the Rainbows had loaded the bases and after Nate Thurber had struck out. Kish ran a 3-1 count on FIU starter Mark Worrell (0-3) then fouled off three pitches before lining a two-run single to left in an eight-pitch at-bat.
"I just let the ball travel," Kish said. "Don't chase anything, make sure you get deep contact."
"It was a great at-bat," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We had the strikeout before and you're looking at a great situation that you might flounder, but he just hung in there and continued to foul pitches off until he got something he wanted. He just competed at the plate and that's what we did for the most part."
Kish's at-bat was followed by two more strong at-bats. Isaac Omura broke out of an 0-for-14 slump with an RBI line single to right and eventually scored on Robbie Wilder's two-run line double to left-center on an 0-2 count.
Matt Inouye and Josh Green led the 15-hit attack with three hits apiece and combined for four runs and five RBI.
However, just as Omura found his stroke, he sprained his right ankle after making the turn around first base after he led off the sixth inning with an opposite-field single to left. He was on crutches after the game, but described the injury as a "mild sprain."
"I just planted (my right foot) and it went," Omura said. "I'm hoping it won't take awhile (to heal). It's not the first time. I've had problems with both ankles in my junior and senior years in high school."
As for his turnaround at the plate, Omura said he did not do anything different this past week.
"I put all the (previous) games behind me," he said. "It's a whole new season for me. I just believed in myself and not worry about what everybody else thinks."
As for the injury, he still stayed positive.
"That's the breaks," he said. "Hopefully, it will feel better."
"That's unfortunate because he broke out today," Trapasso said of Omura. "He had the game we kind of expect from Isaac."
The Rainbows chased Worrell in a three-run fifth. After one out, Inouye doubled and went to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Green's single to left, which ended Worrell's outing. Worrell, a transfer from Arizona, was charged with seven runs in 4¡ innings, giving up eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
Worrell was replaced by Ammer Cabrera, who didn't fare any better. After getting Creighton Kahoali'i on a pop to second, a balk sent Green to second before Andrew Sansaver walked. Nate Thurber then drilled a two-run double to right-center to make it 8-0.
Hawai'i added two in the sixth on Inouye's two-run single before the Golden Panthers averted the shutout with an unearned run in the top of the seventh after a two-base throwing error by third baseman Kahoali'i and RBI single by Michael Lopez.
The Rainbows put up four more in the seventh with the help of the reserves. Steve Bell-Irving had an RBI pinch-hit double and Rocky Russo had a pinch-hit sacrifice fly.
Other UH players who came off the bench were shortstop Troy Hanzawa, first baseman Paki Lum and Mike Griffin, who pinched-hit in the DH spot.
Freshman Matt Buck made his season debut, pitching the ninth for Bauer. Buck was charged with five runs, including an inside-the-park three-run home run by Dennis Diaz. The inning was prolonged when Jeff Skellenger reached on a pop single behind first with runners at first and second on a play that could have been ruled an infield fly since there was one out.
For the Rainbows, they know last night's performance doesn't make a season.
"It feels good, but you can't be satisfied with something like this," Kish said. "We have to make sure we go hard everyday. If we do that we're going to be a hell of a team."
The Rainbows will send Stephen Bryant tonight against Andrew Edwards, a 6-foot-5 right-hander. This will be Bryant's first start after making three relief appearances.
