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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 5:38 p.m., Monday, March 27, 2006

Rainbows beat UC Santa Barbara in baseball, 8-6

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The sun came out long enough for Hawai'i to beat UC Santa Barbara, 8-6, Monday in the first game of a doubleheader at Les Murakami Stadium.

The second game is scheduled for seven innings.

Derek DuPree's two out, run-scoring single in the sixth snapped a 6-all game after Robbie Wilder walked and stole second.

Matt Daly (4-0) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk with three strikeouts for the Rainbows (21-8). Steven Wright, who was supposed to start Sunday's game that was postponed, picked up the save with two scoreless innings.

Ian Harrington had his worst outing of the season, allowing six runs (four earned), seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.

Andy Graham gave up seven runs, nine hits and four walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings for the Gauchos (9-11).

The Gauchos scored two unearned runs in the first off Harrington. Alden Carrithers and Chris Valaika each singled to put runners at first and second. Robbie Blauer reached first safely on a fielder's choice on a bunt to Harrington, who threw to third, but third baseman Justin Frash was ruled not to have touched the bag for an error to load the bases. Carrithers scored when Chris Webber grounded to second for a force at second that put runners at the corners. After Webber stole second, Valaika scored when Patrick Rose grounded out to shortstop to make it 2-0.

Hawai'i responded with three in the bottom of the first. Robbie Wilder walked and DuPree singled to left; both advanced on the play when left fielder Dave Harrit bobbled the ball. Frash's RBI single put runners at the corners to set up Luis Avila's sacrifice fly to center that tied the game at 2. After Matt Inouye grounded to short for a force at second, he stole second and scored on Esteban Lopez's double to left-center to put UH ahead, 3-2.

The Rainbows scored three more in the second. With one out, Joe Spiers flared a single to right-center and stole second before Wilder walked. With the runners moving, DuPree chopped out to first to advance the runners, who both scored on Frash's double to left-center. Avila followed with an RBI single to right-center to make it 6-2.

The Gauchos sent nine batters up in the fourth, scoring four to tie the game at 6. With one out, Matt Emerick walked and Mario Lewis flared a single to center to put runners at first and second. Matt McColgan grounde to short for a force at second to put runners at first and third to set up Harrit's RBI double to right-center. Carrithers followed with a two-run single to center and took second on the throw home. He scored the tying run on Valaika's double to left. After Blauer was hit by a pitch, Harrington was pulled for Matt Daly, who got Webber to ground out to end the inning.

The Rainbows broke the tie in the sixth. After Spiers grounded into a double play, Wilder walked for the third time, stole second and scored on DuPree's single to center. DuPree took second on the play when center fielder Ererick misplayed the ball. Graham was pulled for the left-handed Andrew Schoneberger to face the left-handed hitting Frash, who drew a walk on four pitches. But Avila flied out to deep center to end the inning.

Hawai'i got insurance in the eighth. Spiers triple to left-center with one out, but Wilder struck out. The Rainbows sent the right-handed hitting Jorge Franco to pinch-hit for the left-handed hitting DuPree. The Gauchos pulled Schoneberger for the right-handed submariner Justin Segal But Segal's wild pitch scored Spiers before he struck out Franco.