It used to be that no lead was ever safe in college baseball. I was reminded about that Sunday afternoon by Howard Dashefsky when Oregon took a 10-run lead over Hawaii in the fourth inning. Dash played on the UH team that won a key game against New Mexico, 11-10, after the Lobos went up by a touchdown and a field goal. A couple of weeks after that the Rainbows were in the 1980 College World Series.

But now the bats are different, and it’s harder to hit the ball out of the park. It’s still not impossible to overcome a double-digit deficit. But the 2012 UH team, which lost 14-5 on Sunday, will probably have to attempt such comebacks by nibbling away rather than bombing away.

If you’re a Hawaii fan, of course, you hope that situation doesn’t come about often. It could, though, with so many inexperienced pitchers.

Coach Mike Trapasso said that his No. 3 starter, Jon Flinn, throws an excellent change-up. But the Ducks blasted Flinn’s early-in-the-count offerings, so we didn’t get to see it much Sunday.

So it is with Hawaii’s offense. Speed is a major component. And that’s a problem if you’re chasing a lot of runs; it tends to take the bunt, steal and hit-and-run out of the arsenal.

“When you’re down by that much you can’t take chances getting thrown out,” Trapasso said. “But it could get to the point where we throw away the book and just keep playing our style.”

With Breland Almadova, Stephen Ventimilia and Kaeo Aliviado, the Rainbows will run a lot. But it won’t matter if UH doesn’t get the pitching to keep the scores low. Starters Matt Sisto and Jarrett Arakawa were excellent and good Friday and Saturday, so UH won one and was in it to the last at-bat in the other.

Sometimes blowouts are educational; you can learn as much about a guy in how he approaches a plate appearance in a 3-2 game as you can in a 14-5 rout. Aliviado and Ventimilia continued to try to claw their way on and both figured in late rallies with singles Sunday.

“I told them what’s expected of you at this point is to play great defense and work your way on base anyway you can with bunts, walks, anything. We’re not looking for you to hit .350 as freshmen,” Trapasso said. “We’ve got some guys who are wide-eyed with the big crowd. But not those two freshmen.”

ALIVIADO WAS the first baseman and son of coach Layton Aliviado on the Ewa Beach team that won the Little League World Series in 2005.

“I don’t think there’s any question that (his Little League experience) helps him,” Trapasso said. “And he’s the type of kid who’s been proving himself because of his size all his life.”

Aliviado is listed at 5-feet-6, but he’s more like 5-4.

“He’s still got that same spunk, now he’s just older,” Layton Aliviado said. “It seems like yesterday, from Little League to Saint Louis to college. Sometimes I look at him getting the bat, and he looks like the bat boy. But he always plays big.”

Aliviado made a game-ending, diving catch in Friday’s 4-1 win. He threw a runner out at third on Saturday and was hit by a pitch that would have driven in the tying run. But it was ruled he didn’t try to get out of the way and he later struck out to end the game.

“My main thing is just to see how far baseball can take me,” said Aliviado, who had about 30 family and friends at his college debut Friday. “Nothing’s really different. Just a different place and a different time.”

I love the attitude, the hustle and the grit. It will come in very handy in the games where the Rainbows don’t yield an eight-spot in the fourth inning.