PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Hawai'i Rainbow baseball team (11-7) split a pair of games to start the Rose City Baseball Invitational, beating the Washington Huskies (6-10), 9-7, before falling to the Portland Pilots (12-7), 13-2, at PGE Park Friday.

 

UH won the opener over Washington 9-7. Sam Spangler (3-0) got the win in relief while UW's Geoff Brown (1-2) took the loss.

 

Vinnie Catricala led the way, going 3-for-6 with one RBI and two runs. Ryan Morford went 3-for-4 with two RBI while Matt Roquemore added a 3-for-4 with a double and a run. Jeffery Van Doornum was 1-for-5 with two RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Kevin Macdonald went 2-for-6 with one run, one double and one RBI.

 

Washington got on the board first, scoring a run in the bottom of the second. Catricala and Macdonald answered for UH in the top of the third, driving in runs on back-to-back at bats, giving the Rainbows a 2-1 edge.

 

The Huskies again tied the score with a run in the bottom of the inning. Morford then responded with an RBI-single in the top of the fourth before a solo home run by UW's Pierce Rankin tied the score again at 3-3.

 

Hawai'i then broke it open in the top of the fifth. Van Doornum drove in a run to start the scoring before he, Macdonald and Shane Hoey all scored on walks and wild pitches, giving the 'Bows an 8-4 edge.

 

Washington cut the lead down to 8-5 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but that was where it stayed until the ninth.

 

After a 30-minute rain delay, the Huskies went to work in the bottom of the ninth. UW scored three runs to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

 

Van Doornum hit a two-out, RBI-single to start the scoring in the 10th. He then scored on an RBI-double by Landon Hernandez, giving the 'Bows a two-run cushion. UW threatened in the bottom of the 10th, starting the inning with back-to-back singles. But a fly out and a double play put it away, giving UH the 9-7 victory.

 

In the second game, the Rainbows ran into a buzz saw, falling to Portland 13-2, ending UH's eight-game winning streak. Jared Alexander (0-1) allowed his first earned runs of the season, taking the loss. Mark Triolo (3-2) got the win for the Pilots.

 

Greg Garcia went 1-for-3 with one RBI while Van Doornum and Morford both had a run and a hit.

 

The Pilots jumped on UH early, scoring four runs in the top of the second. UH answered with a run in the bottom of the inning before Portland put up three more in the top of the third, extending their lead to 7-1.

 

Portland blew it wide open in the fourth, scoring five runs to push it to 12-1. The Rainbows scored a run in the bottom of the fourth, with UP adding one more in the top of the fifth, making the final score 13-2.

 

UH will try to rebound tomorrow, facing Oregon at 2:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. HST).