Is there anything else that could go wrong for Hawaii two weeks into the season?

Down to its final out, No. 13 Rice handed the Rainbows the most agonizing defeat of their season-opening, seven-game losing streak, scoring three times in the ninth to pull off a stunning 7-5 victory Sunday afternoon at Les Murakami Stadium.

Sophomore Lawrence Chew had the Owls (5-2) down to their final strike when Keenan Cook poked a 3-2 pitch into left field to score the tying run that silenced a crowd of 1,774.

The Rainbows then fell apart, as Bryan Burgher walked a batter and hit a guy with the bases loaded to drop UH to 0-7 for the first time since 1933.

"It definitely stinks," junior outfielder Kalei Hanawahine said.

Hawaii led after the fourth inning for the first time all year after matching a season high with five runs off Rice starter Kevin McCanna, who was pulled after recording five outs.

Relievers Chase McDowell and Zech Lemond combined to hold UH to only three hits over the final 71⁄3 innings, giving the Owls a chance to pull out the win late.

"You’ve got to finish the job," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "You can’t score five in one inning and then just shut down the rest of the game offensively thinking that’s going to be enough in Game 3 with our pitching and our bullpen depleted."

Adam Hurley’s two-run single gave UH its biggest lead of the season at 5-2 and chased McCanna, who was drafted in the 22nd round of last year’s MLB draft.

Hawaii had only scored once in the first 27 innings against Rice before exploding for five in the second.

Hanawahine ignited the charge with an RBI single to right that was Hawaii’s first hit with runners in scoring position in 23 at-bats.

"The coaches were stressing to us to quit panicking and relax at the plate, and definitely getting that hit was a bit of a confidence boost," Hanawahine said. "After that inning we didn’t do a good job of putting more pressure on them and getting some insurance runs."

Hawaii starter Corey MacDonald flirted with disaster in the third, giving up a two-run single to Christian Stringer that nearly ended his day.

Michael Ratterree followed with a base hit, but MacDonald settled down to face the minimum 11 over the next 32⁄3 innings.

"That guy battled — MacDonald went to war out there with nothing and found a way to get us seven innings," Trapasso said. "That was an incredible job, because honestly I was going to take him out after three (innings) but decided against it because we don’t have anybody else right now."

MacDonald took advantage of three double plays turned by his defense to get through seven innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

"Knowing that we had to save arms I was just trying to throw strikes and be in a position to win the game at the end of my outing," MacDonald said. "I was rushing a little (early), and once I was able to slow that down I was able to get my fastball down and that helped a lot."

Stringer finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Ratterree drove in two runs for the Owls, who have won three in a row.

Rice out-hit UH 13-6.

In his first start in a Rainbow uniform, redshirt freshman Alan Baldwin singled and scored in the second and roped a two-out double in the ninth. He was the only Rainbow hitter with multiple hits.

"Best day of my life," Baldwin said when he got the news he was starting at DH. "To lose games like that, though, is tough, especially because we know we’re capable of so much more."

Trapasso said he’ll start freshman Quintin Torres-Costa (0-1, 9.64 ERA) in tonight’s finale at 6:35. The Owls will try to complete the sweep with junior John Simms (2-0, 0.00 ERA) getting the nod. Simms, who earned the win Friday, has given up just three hits in 101⁄3 scoreless innings this year.