Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (0-1) fell to the No. 5 Texas Longhorns (1-0) 7-4 in front of a crowd of 3,005 on opening day at the Les Murakami Stadium Friday. Ricky Bauer picked up the loss for UH while Justin Simmons got the win for the Longhorns.

The loss was UH's first in a season-opener since 2000, when the 'Bows fell to Florida 12-6.

Joshua Green led the way for the Rainbows, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Rocky Russo also homered in a 1-for-3 game with two runs and two RBI. Brian Finegan added a two hit game while freshman Steven Wright pitched 3.0 innings, giving up just one run while striking out four.

The Longhorns jumped out to an early lead with runs in the first and second innings, to put Texas up 2-0. Hawai`i then came back in the bottom of the second with solo home runs by Russo and Green, tying the game at 2-2.

UT took the lead right back in the top of the third, as Taylor Teagarden hit a two-run homer, putting the Longhorns up 4-2. Texas scored twice more before the Rainbows mustered any more offense in the sixth inning, as a double by Gregory Kish set up a RBI single by Green, driving in Russo to cut the deficit to 6-3. Hawai`i had the bases loaded with just one out later in the sixth, but UT's Kyle Yates struck out the last two batters of the inning to keep the three-run difference.

UH gave up one more run in the seventh before making their final push in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Sansaver singled to start the inning before a double to left by Jaziel Mendoza put runners on second and third with one out. Russo would sacrifice fly in Sansaver, but that was all the `Bows would get, falling by the final of 7-4.

The two teams will play again tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. at the Les Murakami Stadium, with Richard Olsen pitching against Sam LeCure.

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