Rainbows deliver against UCSB

With a series win on the line, Hawaii will trot out the reigning Big West pitcher of the week.

Junior Matt Cooper will try to make the Rainbows’ first series in a new conference a winning one after UH battled back to defeat UC Santa Barbara 6-2 on Friday night.

Pi‘ikea Kitamura’s two-run double punctuated a four-run seventh inning and Hawaii (6-17, 1-1) scored six unanswered runs to beat the Gauchos (13-11, 1-1) in front of a Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,823.

Cooper, who hasn’t given up a run in his past 162⁄3 innings at home, will start tonight in the final game of the series that counts toward conference standings.

UH and UCSB will play one more time on Sunday in a nonconference game.

"Every year, every series, you talk about being Sunday tough and we have to do it on Saturday," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "We’ve got to be able to pitch ahead in the count, keep the ball down in the zone, and get big hits like we did tonight."

Senior Corey MacDonald finished off his second complete game of the season when he threw out Cameron Newell at first to give Hawaii its fifth win in seven games.

MacDonald (3-2) won for the third time in his past four starts, allowing just four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

"I was painting (at) the knees and feeling good about my stuff," MacDonald said. "I know it’s conference and I want to do better for everyone and I think I just felt more comfortable tonight."

It helps with an offense that looks as comfortable as it’s been all season.

The Rainbows scored at least six runs for the fifth time in six games and have scored as many runs in their past eight games as they had in their first 15.

"Our guys were locked in tonight and intent on getting pretty good swings," Trapasso said. "That seventh inning was huge where we were able to get add-on runs and help Corey go out there and relax and give us a complete game."

The Rainbows have scored nine of their 12 runs in the series with two outs.

Kaeo Aliviado tied the game with a two-run single in the sixth and Hawaii scored four times off of three different pitchers in the seventh to build a 6-2 cushion.

Conner George had three hits to extend his hitting streak to seven games, which was matched by Kitamura with a two-run double in the seventh to make it 6-2.

Austin Wobrock broke a 1-for-16 skid with key hits to set up UH’s two big innings.

He dropped a two-out bunt down the third-base line in the seventh to set up RBI hits by Stephen Ventimilia and Kitamura that put the game away.

"We’re still grinding it out, but we’re starting to do the little things right," Wobrock said. "I saw the guy back and we practice (the bunt) all the time, so I thought I’d roll the dice a little bit and it worked."

Hawaii battled back from an early 2-0 hole and took the lead in the seventh on Jerry Kleman’s one-out RBI single.

George doubled to lead off and advanced to third on a ground out by Trevor Podratz. UCSB coach Andrew Checketts replaced starter Justin Jacome with Hector Lujan to face the right-handed hitting Kleman, who snuck a single past a drawn-in infield between short and third.

The Gauchos used four different pitchers in the inning as Checketts tried to play righty-lefty matchups, but UH wouldn’t cooperate.

Wobrock’s bunt single kept the inning going and Ventimilia singled up the middle off lefty Cameron Cuneo to make it 4-2.

Cuneo faced only one hitter as Checketts went with Connor Baits, who served up the double to Kitamura to make it 6-2.

"Once that happened it gave me the ability to throw pitches and get outs quicker," MacDonald said. "It made me a lot more comfortable because I knew my leash was a lot longer."

Six different Rainbows had hits, including Aliviado, who is thriving in his role hitting third in the lineup.

Since moving to that spot in the second game of the Wichita State series, Aliviado is hitting .500 (9-for-18) with a double, three runs and three RBIs.

"That three-hole is a big spot to fill and I’m just trying to do my best and have fun with it," Aliviado said.