The Hawaii baseball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead against No. 10 Texas in each of the first three games of its series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
One ended in a loss, one ended in a win, and the third will be decided Sunday.
Scott Squier pitched a seven-inning two-hitter in a 6-1 victory over the Longhorns in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader on Saturday in Austin, Texas.
Game 2 was postponed due to weather after seven complete innings with the score tied 2-2.
It will resume Sunday morning at 8 a.m. The final game of the series is set for 45 minutes after the conclusion of the postponed game.
"It was a good day because it feels good getting the win and we played well again in all three phases," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "Now we’ve got to come out tomorrow and try to find a way to scratch across a run or two right away."
The Rainbow Warriors (7-7) have outscored the Longhorns 10-6 in the series after a convincing win in Saturday’s only completed game.
While Squier (2-0) kept a potent Texas lineup at bay, Hawaii’s offense put up six runs in the first three innings against Longhorns starter Dillon Peters (1-1), who had an ERA of 0.82 over his first three starts.
Kaeo Aliviado and Jordan Richartz strung together consecutive two-out RBI singles in the second and Richartz scored on a wild pitch to give UH a 3-0 lead.
The Rainbows loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth and scored their fourth run on Austin Wobrock’s sacrifice fly.
Kalei Hanawahine followed with a bunt that Texas threw around the diamond, resulting in two errors and two more Hawaii runs to make it 6-0.
That lead was more than enough for Squier, who gave up a two-out single to Mark Payton in the third and a two-out RBI single to C.J. Hinojosa in the fifth.
Squier saved UH’s bullpen by retiring the final seven batters of the game after Hinojosa’s single. He walked four and struck out two to finish the game in 105 pitches.
"You could see he was smelling it and I thought his stuff was the best it had been all game in that seventh inning," Trapasso said. "Scotty didn’t have his best stuff, but he competed as well as I can remember."
After starting on Friday for the first time in seven games, freshman Marcus Doi was held out of all 15 innings played on Saturday.
His injured groin flared up again in Friday’s loss, and Trapasso said he might hold him out until the Big West opener at UC Santa Barbara in three weeks.
"I don’t want this lingering into conference," Trapasso said. "We’ll get him home and get him looked at and I’m inclined to sit him out all the way until then if that’s what it takes."
Kaeo Aliviado hit leadoff in Doi’s spot and went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a run scored in the first game and was 1-for-2 with both UH runs in the second.
Marc Flores drove in Aliviado both times, with an RBI groundout in the second and a sacrifice fly in the third.
Texas tied the game in the fifth on a two-out, two-run triple by Mark Payton, who has reached base in 55 straight games.
The Texas senior had struck out twice against UH starter Jarrett Arakawa before tripling down the left-field line to tie it.
Arakawa went six innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw 81 pitches.
"I thought Jarrett was by far the best he’s been for us this year," Trapasso said. "He was sharp and throwing all of his pitches for strikes."
Richartz reached base five times on Saturday, with four singles and a walk. Second baseman Juliene Jones singled and scored a run in the win and has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games.