San Francisco went over .500 on the season for the first time in 2000 by earning a 4-3 11-inning victory at Rainbow Stadium in Hawaii.

In a game that lasted nearly four hours, the Dons refused to go away as they received offense from several different sources, and got another decent start from senior pitcher Ian Perio.

Rigo Lopez's two-out flare single to right-center scored Jason Howard with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning as the University of San Francisco downed the host University of Hawaii Rainbows, 4-3.

A Rainbow Stadium crowd of 1,248 watched the Rainbows (2-8) drop their fifth consecutive game and the Dons (4-3) win their fourth straight.

USF starter, senior Ian Perio, allowed 10 hits, three walks and three runs in 6 1/3 innings, while striking out six. Phil Polanco (1-1) pitched the final two innings, and picked up the win. The Rainbows stranded 11 runners, nine in scoring position.

UH left-hander Jamie Aloy, pitched nine innings, scattering six hits and two walks, while striking out two. But a throwing error by third baseman Danny Kimura with two out in the sixth inning led to an unearned run for the Dons. He had two of UH's three errors.

Sean Yamashita (0-1) pitched the final two innings for Hawaii.

In the top of the 11th, Howard grounded a double down the third base line. Howard went to third on Jesse Foppert's sacrifice and remained there when Pat Walsh flied out to shallow right field, bringing Lopez to the plate.

Yamashita fired three consecutive sliders at Lopez, the first two for called strikes, the third a ball that UH thought was strike three. After another ball, Yamashita left his fastball over the plate and Lopez flared it to right-center to break the 3-all game.

Lopez was anticipating another slider, but waited for a pitch over the plate. I was looking for something in the zone, something that I could get the bat on, get a flare or whatever, so I could get the guy in from third base, Lopez said.

The two teams exchanged leads all evening. Hawaii took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. USF's Howard then hit a solo home run to right in the second inning to tie the game at 1.

Kimura's throwing error in the sixth put USF up 2-1. But Brian Bock's two-run single in the bottom of the sixth gave Hawaii a short-lived 3-2 lead.

The Dons tied the game in the seventh when Walsh led off with a double, took third on a ground out to second and scored on Jared Carvalho's sacrifice fly.

The two teams will meet again tonight at 8:35 PM PT.