Longhorns top Rainbows

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's Rocky Russo connects for a solo home run in the second inning against eighth-ranked Texas. The Longhorns beat UH 7-4. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Rainbows (0-1) dropped an opener for the first time since 2000, when they lost to Florida, 12-6.

The Longhorns were powered by a two-run home run by sophomore catcher Taylor Teagarden, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season, who was 3 for 5, including an RBI single. They also had four sacrifices, including a squeeze.

"Anytime they needed to get a bunt down, they got the bunt down," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "That's no surprise. We know that's how an Augie Garrido-coached team is going to play."

The same could not be said for the Rainbows, who had a runner picked off, a batter strike out on a two-strike, fouled bunt, and committed two errors.

"They just executed and I think I was trying to be too aggressive early on," said UH shortstop Brian Finegan, who led off the UH first with a single, took second on a sacrifice, only to get picked off later. "They just caught me off guard."

Hawai'i starter Ricky Bauer (0-1), who has succeeded on grounders, was high over the plate, as the Longhorns banged him for four runs on eight hits in 3¡ innings. Except for the four sacrifices, UH pitchers only got two ground ball outs in the game.

"We just didn't pitch well today," Trapasso said. "We just got beat, and we got beat because we left too many balls up in the zone. Anytime we made a mistake, they hammered it."

Texas starter Justin Simmons (1-0) gave up two runs on three hits in four innings. Since it was predetermined that his outing might not reach the required five innings, he was credited with the win. Garrido, the Texas coach, had said his pitchers would be on a pitch count at this point in the season.

Kyle Yates might have been UT's most effective pitcher, allowing a run in 3á innings with six strikeouts. He escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth by striking out the last two batters.

"He has a good, strong mentality and he has good character," Garrido said of Yates. "He's not afraid to go after hitters, and he does have good stuff."

The Longhorns also had a strong mentality at the plate, getting three RBI hits in two-out situations. They took a 1-0 lead in the first after a two-out double by Curtis Thigpen, who scored on Teagarden's ground single to center. Texas made it 2-0 with two out in the second when Seth Johnston reached on a single to third, stole second and scored on Drew Stubbs' ground single to left. In the seventh, Michael Hollomon walked with two outs and scored on J.D. Reininger's double to left-center.

But it was Teagarden's two-run shot that went some 430 feet that gave the Longhorns the lead they would not relinquish.

"It was a curveball and I just stayed with it," Teagarden said of the 1-2 offering from Bauer. "It really wasn't a good pitch to swing at, but I just drove it."

The Rainbows tied the game at 2 in the second when Rocky Russo led off the inning with a towering home run to right that cleared the front wall. Two outs later, Josh Green parked one onto the road behind the original right field wall.

But Texas kept the pressure on by adding single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Rainbows would score one in the sixth on a one-out infield single to short by Green with runners at first and third. After a walk by Matt Inouye to load the bases, that is when Yates responded by striking out Finegan and Andrew Sansaver to minimize the damage.

The Rainbows got a run off All-America relief pitcher Huston Street in the ninth. Sansaver reached on a bloop single that fell between right fielder Dooley Prince and second baseman Johnston. After Nate Thurber struck out — and ejected for arguing the called third strike — Jaziel Mendoza ripped a hard grounder by first baseman Thigpen for a double to right to put runners at the corners with one out. Russo's sacrifice fly to right scored Sansaver, but Street struck out Isaac Omura to end the game.

Despite the loss, Trapasso was pleased with the effort.

"I liked the way our guys played," Trapasso said. "They played with a lot of intensity, but we just have to pitch better and execute better."

Trapasso said Thurber will be disciplined for the ejection. He would not reveal the punishment.

The series resumes at 6:35 tonight. Texas will start Sam LeCure, while UH will start Rich Olsen.