May 16, 2009

HONOLULU, Hawai'i -- For the second straight game, Utah Valley struggled to score runs, losing 4-1 at Hawai'i in front of 3,179 fans on Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.

The Rainbows (31-22) got a pair of solo home runs from Vinnie Catricala and starter Matt Sisto (5-4) tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing eight hits and striking out four without a walk.

Josh Hinckley was 3-for-3 for the Wolverines (16-35) and Cole Anderson had two hits including a solo home run in the eight inning, his fifth of the year. Chris Benson was hitless and saw his 13-game hitting streak end while Billy Burgess had a single in the second inning to up is streak to 12 games.

Catricala gave UH a 1-0 lead in the first, lining a 2-2 pitch from UVU starter Brock Sargent over the wall in left.

Sargent (2-9) threw four innings and was charged with four runs on six hits. Five walks hindered Sargent on a night that saw the junior righthander escape a bases loaded, no out jam in the third before being chased from the game in the fifth.

Catricala began the fifth with a towering shot to left, giving Hawai'i a 2-0 lead. A single and a walk then ended Sargent's night, making way for Kole Mickolio. After a strikeout of Sean Montplaisir with two aboard and no outs, Christian Johnson and Matt Roquemore had back-to-back RBI singles to give the Rainbows a 4-0 lead.

Mickolio then retired the next 10 UH batters, including the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings. Over his last three outings, Mickolio has allowed just two earned run in 10.0 innings of work.

Anderson's home run came with one out in the eighth off of Connor Little but was all the Wolverines could muster. The four-game series continues Saturday with a 7:35 p.m. first pitch.