On the day Hawai'i had its best offensive output in nearly a month, its pitching failed miserably.

Sacramento State exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning to beat the Rainbows, 10-6, and complete a four-game Western Athletic Conference series sweep at Hornet Field in Sacramento, Calif.

The Hornets (10-14 overall, 5-3 WAC) extended their win streak to five.

The six runs were the most UH has scored since a 15-8 loss to Portland on March 1 at Surprise, Ariz., 18 games ago. The Rainbows amassed 16 hits, including four doubles, their second-highest production of the season. But UH's pitching gave up a season-high 10 walks, with half of those runners eventually stepping on home plate.

"Six should've been enough runs," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We didn't pitch today. When your starter goes out in the third inning which you think is your best guy, can't throw a strike, you're for the most part done. That's a shame because we did hit enough and score enough. Six runs doesn't sound like a whole bunch, but for us, the way things have been going, it has been."

The Rainbows (9-19, 2-6), who have lost six in a row and 10 consecutive away from Les Murakami Stadium, fell into last place in the seven-team conference when Louisiana Tech (2-5) had its game against San Jose State (5-6) rained out yesterday in Ruston, La.

Hawai'i is off to its worst start since Trapasso's first season, when the 2002 team was 9-19 en route to a 16-40 finish. Even with their six runs yesterday, the Rainbows' average scoring per game is a league-worst 3.92. But with 28 games to go — 24 in a conference that no team appears to be dominating — the feeling is things will balance out offensively for the Rainbows.

"You just ride it out because we have guys that have hit in the past," Trapasso said. "There's no reason to think they won't come out of this and start swinging again."

Jon Hee led UH with by batting 4 for 5, and Brandon Haislet went 3 for 4.

The Rainbows came out swinging, sending eight batters to the plate in the first inning. They started with four consecutive singles off starter Casey Weglin in taking a 2-0 lead. Haislet and Kevin Macdonald each had RBI singles after Hee and Derek DuPree reached on singles. But Macdonald was picked off first and despite a walk (Jeff Van Doornum) and a hit batsman (Alex Myers), the Rainbows left the bases loaded.

UH starter Josh Schneider (2-2) didn't help his cause, lasting just 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, three walks and three hits, including a two-run home run by Tim Wheeler. Matt Daly replaced Schneider with one out in the fourth inning, allowing an RBI single and walking three, one that came with the bases loaded to force in a run. He was charged with four runs in one-third of an inning. Harrison Kuroda came in with the bases loaded and gave up a three-run double to David Flores to cap the 11-batter, seven-run inning.

Hawai'i scored twice in the fifth to pull to 7-4 on a run-scoring single by Macdonald and sacrifice fly by Vinnie Catricala.

But UH's pitching couldn't stop the bleeding, giving up two more runs in the fifth, cashing in two walks on RBI singles by Travis Kirkman and Taylor Watanabe, a 2003 'Aiea High graduate.

Hawai'i added single runs in the sixth and ninth, but could not overcome the Hornets' big fourth inning.

Trevor Paine (2-1) was credited with the win for one scoreless inning. Weglin went four-plus innings, allowing four runs, eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Despite leaving with the lead, he was unable to go the minimum five innings to qualify for the win.

The Rainbows will drive from Sacramento to San Jose this morning. They have a non-conference game at No. 21 Stanford, 3 p.m., HST, tomorrow before resuming WAC play at San Jose State starting Friday.