Seven runs has been a rare feat for the Hawaii baseball team this year.
Just ask Jarrett Arakawa.
UH had scored a total of 21 runs in Arakawa’s previous eight starts before carrying the sophomore left-hander to his fourth victory of the season in a 7-5 win over Saint Mary’s on Saturday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
Collin Bennett went 2-for-3 with a triple and a career-high tying four RBIs for the Rainbows (21-13), who scored at least seven runs in a game for just the fifth time this year.
Breland Almadova went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI and Pi‘ikea Kitamura was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored as four of Hawaii’s 11 hits went for extra bases.
7 HAWAII
5
SAINT MARY’S
NEXT: UH vs. San Jose State, 3 p.m. Friday in San Jose, Calif.
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"We haven’t had a game like that in a long time," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso, whose team trailed 3-0 in the first inning. "When you play ugly you just hope to win ugly because when you play ugly and lose it just gnaws at you."
The Rainbows broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh on a two-run single up the middle by Bennett, who last drove in four runs against San Jose State in the regular-season home finale last year.
The senior third baseman is 4-for-6 with three runs and four RBIs in the first two games of the series.
"I’ve really just simplified stuff at the plate," said Bennett, who was 2-for-16 in his last four games before this weekend. "I was making things a little bit too complicated when I went on a little bit of a bad streak there and right now I’m trying to relax when I’m (up to bat)."
Arakawa (4-3) gave up four runs, although only one was earned, on six hits in seven innings.
The Gaels (15-17) pulled within two runs at 7-5 on a solo home run by Brenden Kalfus to lead off the ninth. Saint Mary’s loaded the bases with two outs before reliever Brent Harrison got Shawn O’Brien to fly out to center for his team-leading fifth save.
"We still made it interesting because we were walking guys and giving up hits," Trapasso said. "It wasn’t a well-played game by any means."
The Rainbows got off to a shaky start defensively, booting two ground balls out of the first three batters in the game.
Cole Norton sandwiched a single between errors by Bennett and Kitamura to load the bases with nobody out.
Patrick Wisdom grounded into a fielder’s choice as Bennett threw home to force out Ricky Boas at the plate for the first out.
Shawn O’Brien didn’t let the ‘Bows off the hook, however, hitting a 3-1 pitch from Arakawa for a two-run double.
Chris Murphy added an RBI groundout to give the Gaels their biggest lead of the series.
"I wasn’t as sharp as I hoped to be so it was nice for (the offense) to pick me up on that," said Arakawa, who allowed two walks and struck out five. "(The errors) were uncharacteristic for us but I think we’re a strong team and we showed it to come back and even it up."
That 3-0 cushion barely lasted a minute as Hawaii answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the frame.
Kaeo Aliviado reached on a Saint Mary’s error and Kitamura singled to put two runners on. With two outs, Bennett fell behind 0-2 before lifting a fly ball high into the air in right field, with the wind pushing it behind Kalfus in right, allowing it to drop for a two-run triple.
"I knew I barreled it but typically that ball gets caught," Bennett said. "He lost it in the air and it went a lot farther than he thought it would, but then I hit a line drive into the gap that was caught so it was like the baseball gods took away that one because they gave me one."
Almadova then ripped the next pitch for a ground-rule double to right-center, scoring Bennett to tie the game at 3-all.
"It really did feel like we were starting over," Arakawa said.
UH took a quick 4-3 lead on an RBI double in the third by Kitamura, who was picked off at third base by catcher Toby DeMello for the second out.
A one-out walk in the fourth allowed by Arakawa helped Saint Mary’s tie the game at 4-all on an RBI double by Kalfus.
Sophomore left-hander Ben Griset (2-4) took the loss for the Gaels, allowing five runs on nine hits in 61⁄3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
The series ends with a doubleheader today beginning at 11:05 a.m. Freshman Scott Squier (3-1, 2.72 ERA) will start the first game for the Rainbows, who have won seven of their last eight.
