Winning ugly is every bit as important as winning pretty.

Hawaii made a season-high tying three errors and got its second shortest outing of the season from a starting pitcher yet still managed to complete a four-game sweep of Sacred Heart with a 6-5 win Sunday afternoon at Les Murakami Stadium.

A crowd of 1,124 watched the Rainbow Warriors match their best 15-game start to the season in five years at 10-5 with their first nonconference series sweep since 2014.

“I thought it was good for us in that we didn’t play particularly well in the two most important phases that we focus on in pitching and defense, but we found a way to win,” Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “It’s important for a young team to learn to win.”

Hawaii has done a lot of that over the past three weeks, winning six in a row and nine of 10 since opening the season 1-4.

The road to victory was a bit different Sunday with starter Jackson Rees lasting only 5 2/3 innings and giving up five runs — two earned — on six hits with four walks.

It was just the third time all year Hawaii’s starter failed to get through the sixth inning.

Patrick Martin struggled replacing Rees with two outs in the sixth, allowing two walks and a two-run single to Alex Penny to tie the game at 5-5.

The trio of Kyle Mitchell, Matt Estes and Casey Ryan made up for it allowing only two baserunners over the final 3 1/3 innings to shut down the Pioneers (5-10). Ryan was especially impressive in a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to earn the save.

“Big innings by Mitchell and Estes to put zeros on the board and I just came in and tried to do my part,” said Ryan, whose fastball touches 92 mph. “I think it was important for our bullpen staff to get out there so we have the experience to carry into conference.”

Ryan is the third different UH reliever to earn a save this season. None of the eight who have made an appearance have thrown more than 6 2/3 innings or given up more than two earned runs.

“We don’t have a guy. It’s just whatever the situation is and that’s what I like and right now how we’re going to keep it,” Trapasso said. “Casey put himself in the mix this weekend. He hasn’t been used a lot but was outstanding both (appearances).”

Hawaii scored in four straight innings and took the lead for good on Dylan Vchulek’s RBI groundout in the sixth inning.

Vchulek, who went 2-for-4 with a double and stole one of four bases by Hawaii, drove in Logan Pouelsen, who led off the inning with a walk.

Sacred Heart’s Baylor Sundahl (1-2) threw nine straight balls to start the inning before he was taken out for a reliever.

Vchulek had the go-ahead run at third and made the simple play hitting a ball to short to bring in Pouelsen.

“With the runners on third and second, I saw the shortstop was back and just hit the ball to short to get the RBI,” Vchulek said. “That’s how we’re going to win some games at the Les. We know these are going to be dogfights.”

Mitchell (1-1) tossed two scoreless frames to get the win and Estes came in with two outs and two on in the eighth against a lefty and got Elijah Brown to fly out left.

Jake Friar went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead Sacred Heart, which has lost six of seven.

“We were disappointed by the way we performed,” Sacred Heart coach Nick Giaquinto said. “Overall, we’ve played better but a lot of that has to do with the guys (Hawaii) threw on the mound.”

Hawaii finished with nine hits and was led by Vchulek and Marcus Doi, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI double.

Doi has battled a hamstring issue this season and was hitless in 14 at-bats coming in before going 5-for-10 in the series.

“I just tried to simplify everything and trust the process,” Doi said. “It came through this weekend.”

His RBI double in the fourth inning drove in Alex Fitchett for Hawaii’s first lead at 3-2.

After the Pioneers tied it in the next inning, UH scored twice in the bottom of fifth on a groundout and sacrifice fly.

UH scored five of its six runs on out-making plays.

Up next is a four-game series against Indiana beginning Wednesday.