Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (26-27, 13-14 WAC) fell in a slugfest to the No. 12 Rice Owls (38-17, 18-9) 14-11 in front of a crowd of 3,251 at Reckling Park Sunday. Colby Summer (2-6) took the loss in relief while Cole St. Clair (2-0) got the win.

Matthew Inouye had another big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, five RBI and a run. Esteban Lopez went 1-for-3 with two RBI while Daniel Magana was 1-for-3 with three runs. Isaac Omura extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 1-for-5 game with one run and one RBI.

Lopez continued his hot hitting in Houston, whacking a two-out single up the middle to score Spiers in the top of the first, giving the Rainbows an early 1-0 edge. Rice came right back, scoring an unearned run in the bottom half of the inning to tie it at one.

The Owls then took the lead in the second inning as Tyler Henley hit a two-run triple to the left-center gap, putting them up 3-1. Henley then came around to score, making it 4-1 in favor of Rice.

The Owls added another run on the board in the bottom of the fourth before the Rainbows came up with their big inning in the fifth as Gregory Kish, Omura and Lopez all drove in runs to start it off and get UH within a run. Inouye then came up with the bases loaded and hit a bases-clearing double to left-center, putting the 'Bows up 7-5.

Rice scored a run on a bases-loaded hit batsman to get within one, but couldn't capitolize any further as McDowell struck out Greg Buchanan with the bases still loaded, keeping the 'Bows ahead 7-6. Hawai`i then added another run in the sixth as Spiers scored on a wild pitch, pushing their advantage to 8-6.

But that didn't last long as the Owls hit back-to-back-to-back doubles, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead back at 10-8.

The runfest continued in the seventh as Inouye and Erik Ammon drove in back-to-back runs to tie it up at 10. Josh Rodriguez put Rice back ahead 11-10. The Owls blew it open in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs, highlighted by a two-run triple by Buchanan, pushing the lead to 14-10.

Hawai`i got a run in the top of the ninth, driven in by Inouye, but it wasn't enough as UH fell 14-11.

The 'Bows will head East to Ruston, La., for a three-game series at Louisiana Tech, their last series of the season, starting Friday, May 27.

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