History HONOLULU – Behind yet another steady offensive effort, the Hawai’i baseball team pulled away late for a 10-5 win before a sold out crowd in the series opener against Long Beach State Friday night. The Rainbow Warriors (22-6, 9-4 Big West) matched a season-high with 17 hits while scoring nine or more runs for the sixth […]
History
HONOLULU – Behind yet another steady offensive effort, the Hawai’i baseball team pulled away late for a 10-5 win before a sold out crowd in the series opener against Long Beach State Friday night.
The Rainbow Warriors (22-6, 9-4 Big West) matched a season-high with 17 hits while scoring nine or more runs for the sixth straight game – the longest streak by the program since 1987. UH has also recorded 10 or more hits in seven of its last eight games including each of the last four.
The Dirtbags (10-19, 4-9 Big West) struck first with a run in the second, but the Kedren Kinzie supplied the response in the bottom half with a base knock through the right side to tie it up.
UH put up a three-spot in the third inning to take the lead as Ben Zeigler-Namoa smacked a two-run double to center field to make it 3-1. Jared Quandt delivered two batters later with an RBI single to left field to put the ‘Bows in front by three.
LBSU’s Armando Briseno tied things up at four in the fourth with a clutch two-out, three-run double, but Hawai’i again responded to reclaim the lead. Matthew Miura came through with a two-out RBI single in the bottom half to make it 5-4 before Jack Salmon reached on an error on a hard-hit ball at the shortstop in the fifth to make it a two-run lead.
The ‘Bows broke things wide open in the eighth, plating four runs on six hits to open up a 10-4 lead. Draven Nushida got the scoring started in the frame with a two-run single with the bases loaded before an Aidan Kuni pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Shunsuke Sakaino RBI single put Hawai’i up by six.
Sebastian Gonzalez earned his third straight win pitching 2.2 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts. Isaiah Magdaleno continued his stellar season by earning his fifth save marking the sixth consecutive appearance in which he has gotten the save or the win, pitching the final 2.2 innings. Itsuki Takemoto got the start and matched a career-high with seven strikeouts, but gave up four runs over 3.2 innings.
Six Hawai’i batters recorded multi-hit games with Quandt, Nushida and Kinzie all turning in three-hit efforts. Nushida and Zeigler-Namoa each also put together multi-RBI games.
The Rainbow Warriors and Dirtbags continue their series Saturday beginning at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. Saturday’s game is officially sold out, however standing room tickets will still be available at the door and select tickets can be purchased through our resale partner SeatGeek HERE.
