Rainbows have pride on the line

With his backup hurt, Trevor Podratz is up to the task of catching every remaining Hawaii baseball game.

That is, as long as he has his one important pick-me-up.

"I drink Pedialyte like it’s water," Podratz said. "I sweat like no other so staying hydrated is the biggest thing."

The UH sophomore rides a season-high seven-game hitting streak into this weekend’s Big West Conference series against UC Davis beginning Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.

Podratz hit .423 (11-for-26) with six RBIs and first baseman Marc Flores, who has hit safely in eight straight games, batted .542 (13-for-24) with eight runs scored on UH’s recently completed road trip.

Hawaii is 3-4 since its last home game and currently sits at 12-33 overall and 7-14 in conference play.

With no conference tournament, UH needs to go 4-2 over its final six games to avoid finishing with its lowest win total in 39 years.

"We weren’t expecting to do this," said Podratz, who has raised his season average to .270. "We’re kind of embarrassed for one, but I don’t think we play like we’re embarrassed. We have something to prove that we’re better than that and (these games) are a pride thing for us."

The Rainbows let two games get away from them on the road trip, blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning in a loss to Pacific that would have resulted in UH’s first series sweep.

In the rubber game against Long Beach State, Hawaii put the tying run on third in each of the final two innings, but couldn’t score.

"I was upset a good portion of the day after that because we should have won that game," Flores said. "I hate losing. It’s been stressful."

Hawaii has a chance to make up some ground over the final two weeks of the season in conference. UH welcomes the Aggies (19-31, 5-16) to town for its final home series. UC Davis is tied for last in the league with Pacific, two games behind UH. The Rainbows end the year at UC Riverside, which currently sits a game up on the Rainbows for seventh place.

"This is where pride in your craft and pride in your work ethic has to come in," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "Our guys have bought in and understood that the record has nothing to do with how you prepare and with how you perform every day when you go out there.

"It’s still a privilege to wear the Hawaii uniform and still a privilege to play college athletics and our guys understand that."

This weekend will mark the final home starts for Connor Little (1-6, 4.33) and Corey MacDonald (6-5, 3.84), who are two of eight seniors on the roster.

MacDonald has half of Hawaii’s total victories this season and is on pace to crack the 100-inning mark.

He allowed one run in six innings in a win over Long Beach State, which was his shortest outing since his season debut against Oregon back in mid-February.

"(He’s) one of the best stories we’ve had in the 12 years I’ve been here because it really shows that old adage of being ready and keep working because you never know when your time is going to come," Trapasso said. "He’s the story of the season with what he’s done."

All three of UH’s starters have an ERA of 4.33 or better with junior Matt Cooper currently 16th in conference with a 3.31 ERA. Hawaii is still awaiting word on the status of backup catcher Tyler Young, who had an MRI on his injured shoulder on Tuesday night. Freshman Quintin Torres-Costa will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow today and is expected to miss the entire 2014 season.