'Bows pound Loyola Marymount, 11-2
Advertiser Staff
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Justin Frash batted 4 for 5 with four RBIs to back the strong pitching performance of Ian Harrington as Hawai'i trounced Loyola Marymount, 11-2, yesterday at Page Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Rainbows (8-2) stretched their win streak to four this season as they clinched the three-game non-conference series against the Lions (2-7). Hawai'i, which also has won four consecutive on the Mainland with its two wins at Louisiana Tech to close last season, will try for its first sweep of the season.
"We have to try to play another complete game," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We told them don't be satisfied with just winning the series."
Today's game is at 11 a.m., Hawai'i time, and will be broadcast on KKEA 1420 AM.
Frash, a double shy of hitting for the cycle, hit UH's first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right in the fifth that opened the lead to 5-1. He also had a triple in which he scored on a throwing error on the relay to third base. His two-run single ignited a four-run ninth in which UH batted around.
"He was a joy to watch," Trapasso said.
The Rainbows' 14-hit attack — their sixth double-digit hit game of the season — aided in their third game of the season in which they have scored 11 runs. Luis Avila was 3 for 5 and Esteban Lopez went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Harrington (1-1), who lost 1-0 to UC Irvine last week, went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Rich Olsen allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
"His two-seamer was working very well," Trapasso said of Harrington.
Lions' starter Daniel Macias (0-3), a left-hander, didn't fare as well, allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Hawai'i tagged Macias for three runs in the first inning on four successive singles and an error.
Frash and Avila singled to put runners at first and second to set up Jon Hee's RBI single. Avila, who had stopped at second, took third on the play when the right fielder bobbled the ball. Jorge Franco's single scored Avila and sent Hee to third. Lopez then reached first when first baseman A.J. LaMonda dropped a throw from second baseman Eric Farris, allowing Hee to score to make it 3-0.
The Lions got an unearned run in the fourth. With two outs, Elvis Herrera walked and took second on LaMonda's single to second. Harrington appeared to escape when Sean Dovel hit a grounder to shortstop Joe Spiers, whose fielding error on the play allowed Herrera to score to pull LMU to 3-1.
After Spiers struck out in the top of the fifth, making him 0 for 3, he was replaced in the bottom of the inning by freshman Nathan Young.
"In close games, you have to make plays," Trapasso said of Spiers' fielding woes, which included two errors in Friday's game.
Young paid immediate dividends when he started a double play when Erik Johnson hit a grounder to him with the runner on first breaking with the pitch.
"He made a really difficult play," Trapasso said.
Hawai'i added a run in the sixth when Lopez doubled, took third on Eli Christensen's single to left and scored when Macias balked. The Rainbows got another run in the seventh when Frash tripled and scored on the error.
In the four-run ninth, besides Frash's two-run single, UH scored when Lopez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in one run. That was followed by Christensen's sacrifice fly to center.