Ff &fl LEWIS 1 Staff Writer fifty, t p. Brian Souza Bullpen stalwart 'Bows' Souza has dissolved all the doubts HE date will live not only in Brian Souza's memory, but on his right elbow: March 22, 1988. In the fifth inning of the Rainbow Spring Baseball Tournament game against the University of Hawaii at Rainbow Stadium, Souza was pitching for the University of Washington when he felt something pop. Not the trademark live fastball he threw at 90 mph speeds, but in his right arm near the elbow, when he tried to throw a fastball. Later, he would find out that he tore a ligament off the bone, one that would cause his ulna nerve to scar and pop out in throbbing pain. The elbow would swell and, eventually, force him to the sidelines and into surgery. It also brought him back home to Hawaii for rehabilitation and, in a curious turn of events, to the Rainbows and the Rainbow Spring Tournament where the events of this past weekend have made for less painful memories. Where he once left holding his elbow, Saturday Souza departed Rainbow Stadium holding the trophy as the tournament's outstanding pitcher. He won a record-tying three games and saved another in helping pitch the Rainbows to their first Easter tournament title since 1981. SOUZA'S ARRIVAL and the Rainbows' return to the tournament championship are something more than coincidence. "I knew we wouldn't win the tournament again until we had the pitching," said Les Murakami, the UH coach. "We didn't have the pitching for how many years?" ' Souza (5-1) helped set the tone for a bullpen that went overtime in pulling the Rainbows through their toughest tournament field ever, three nationally-ranked teams. In 10 games, the Rainbows not only didn't get a complete game from any of their starters, but six times they were forced to call the bullpen because a starter failed to go more than six innings. While the starting rotation remains a question mark, the bullpen seems to be coming together nicely, at least at pitcher-friendly Rainbow Stadium. Norman Holt showed signs of being a middle-inning man the Rainbows can use, lefthander Barry Currah and righthander Jeff Ball gave the Rainbows two good set-up men and Souza also gave them something they haven't had in eight years, an real hard throwing, honest-to-Goose Gossage late-inning closer. Not since hard-throwing Bryan Duquette have the Rainbows had one. "My bullpen guys won it for us," Murakami said. Currah won two games, Holt one and Ball saved two as the Rainbows won the close ones, six games decided by two runs or less. That Souza would ever be part of it was something that neither he nor the Rainbows could have imagined. "It is sure interesting how it has turned out," Souza said, shaking his head. THE RAINBOWS recruited Souza out of Kamehameha Schools where he was a three-sport performer (baseball, basketball and volleyball), but backed off when he made his intentions of going to the Mainland known. "I wanted to go away and it was good for me to grow up in a different environment," Souza said. "But after I had surgery, I wanted to stay home for rehabilitation. I was going to have to redshirt a year anyway, so I decided to transfer." Not that there was any guarantee at the time that he'd be able to pitch for anybody. "Coming out of surgery, I was barely able to move my arm," Souza said. "I started off working with just a one-pound weight and I had a hard time with that. From there I just kept building it because I was determined to at least try to pitch again. I didn't know how effective I could be, but I wanted to give it a shot." This past weekend it turned out to be one for both he and the Rainbows to remember.
