HONOLULU – The Hawai'i baseball team brought the potential go-ahead and winning runs to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't pull off a comeback in a 5-2 loss to Rice Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Warriors left 11 runners on base and went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position as Rice pitching limited UH to just five hits. Owls' starter Parker Smith kept the 'Bows off balance over five innings allowing one run on three hits while the Rice bullpen combined to go the final four.
 
Down 4-1 with two outs in the eighth, Stone Miyao worked a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to two before a groundout left the bases full. Hawai'i again loaded the bases in the ninth, this time with just one out, but a ground-ball double play ended the game.
 
The Owls struck first with a pair of runs in the second, but the 'Bows responded with a single run in the bottom half. After Dallas Duarte walked and stole second, Miyao drove him in on a run-scoring single to right field.
 
Rice got one run each in the sixth and seventh, scoring on a high infield pop up that Miyao ran a long way for and couldn't come up with in the sixth and a two-out base knock in the seventh, making it 4-1.
 
Alex Giroux turned in yet another strong effort out of the bullpen, coming on in the fourth inning and striking out six of the first seven batters he faced. Giroux would finish with seven punch-outs over 3.2 innings while Connor Harrison, Tyler Dyball, Tai Atkins and Zacary Tenn combined to work the final 2.1 innings.
 
UH again showed high-level plate discipline, working nine walks to run the team total to 102 on the season. The Rainbow Warriors have worked at least seven walks in nine of the first 13 games while the 10 free passes tonight marked the eighth time the 'Bows have had double-digit free bases.
 
The Rainbow Warriors and Owls continue their four-game series Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.