Lacking key players but not grit, the Hawaii baseball team surged to beat Illinois State, 7-3 and 7-6, to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader and this four-game series at Les Murakami Stadium.
“That’s as good a day as we’ve had, for sure, because the offense came alive today,” said UH coach Mike Trapasso, whose ’Bows improved to 12-6.
The ’Bows were without two of their top players this series — ace Jackson Rees (finger issue on his pitching hand) and third baseman Ethan Lopez (wrist ailment). But the ’Bows stormed to a first-inning lead on Chayce Ka‘aua’s three-run double in the doubleheader’s opener, and rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the nightcap.
Trapasso has viewed doubleheaders as a necessary inconvenience to accommodate scheduling and travel. “You like ’em when you win,” Trapasso said, noting that after clinching the series with the Game 3 victory, “you’re playing with house money. But you know, if you can just pitch OK … we seem to be coming out of our doldrums swinging the bats.”
After winning Friday’s game on Alex Baeza’s three-run, walk-off double, the ’Bows quickly struck on Saturday. Johnny Weeks, Adam Fogel and Kekai Rios reached base ahead of Ka‘aua in the first inning.
“They were pitching away at first,” right-swinging Ka‘aua said. “They came with a fastball away, a slider away, and another fastball away for a strike. (Left-hander Brent Headrick) tried to come in on that next fastball, and I was ready for it. I wasn’t trying to do too much. I was trying to go up the middle. But if it goes in the gap, I’ll take it.”
Ka‘aua’s drive to left-center cleared the bases.
In the four-run sixth, Ka‘aua added a run-scoring single and Eric Ramirez blasted a two-run homer to right.
Neil Uskali pitched all the way in an opening game that was scheduled for seven innings. Uskali’s endurance enabled the ’Bows to have a fresh bullpen for the nine-inning nightcap. That proved to be helpful as the Redbirds chased UH starting pitcher Logan Pouelsen after two innings. The Redbirds, who entered the series with a No. 10 RPI ranking, led 5-0 after 3 1/2 innings.
With middle relievers Colin Ashworth, Kash Koltermann and Kyle Hatton allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings, the ’Bows were able to chip away at their deficit. They scored two runs in the fourth, then went ahead, 6-5, with a four-run fifth. Weeks, who was hitting .150 at the start of the nightcap, had hits in his first four at-bats, punctuated by his three-run double down the right-field line.
“I got a little lucky today,” Weeks said. “I found some holes. Early in the season, I was hitting the ball hard, but right at people. I knew it was going to turn eventually. I was glad it was today.”
The Redbirds tied it at 6 on John Rave’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.
But in the bottom of the inning, Fogel singled, went to second on Rios’ sacrifice, advanced to third on Ka‘aua’s infield hit, and scored on Tyler Murray’s sacrifice fly to center field.
“I had all the faith in the world in my catcher, Tyler Murray,” said Fogel, who can run 60 yards in a speedy 6.6 seconds. “He got the job done. He put the ball deep enough, and we scored to win the game.”
Murray said: “I was trying to get it in the air, because I know (Fogel) can run. Anywhere in the outfield, he’s going to score because he’s so fast.”
Murray was part of the ’Bows’ three-catcher lineup. Murray caught, Rios played third in place of Lopez, and Ka‘aua was the designated hitter.
“We have confidence in every man,” Ka‘aua said.
In the ninth, Dylan Thomas struck out the side on 13 pitches for his first victory this season. Thomas, who has five saves, was making his first appearance of the series.
“He was rested,” Trapasso said of Thomas. “He was fresh It’s rare you can get a fresh Dylan Thomas on game 4 of a series. It was a really good weekend overall, and a good day for us.”
