Hawaii watched more than just a five-run lead evaporate in the rain at Les Murakami Stadium on Friday night.

The Rainbow Warriors lost out on a chance to avoid finishing in last place in the Big West Conference when UC Riverside scored seven unanswered runs to pull off an 8-6 victory in front of a crowd of 1,982.

Mark Contreras scored the go-ahead run on the last of three Hawaii errors as the Rainbow Warriors (21-31, 5-18 Big West) remained a game behind Cal State Northridge at the bottom of the conference.

Even if UH wins its season finale Saturday night and the Matadors lose to Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge owns the head-to-head matchup due to its series win last month.

It’s the first time UH has finished last in a conference since Mike Trapasso’s first season in the Western Athletic Conference in 2002.

"Six runs has to be enough for us because we’re not scoring six runs very often," Trapasso said. "Pitching and defense let us down. That’s a shame because that’s what won for us (Thursday)."

Hawaii was 10-3 in games when it scored at least six times before the loss to the Highlanders (26-27, 12-11).

David Andriese went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored and Joe Chavez was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI for UC Riverside.

Stephen Ventimilia went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Kaeo Aliviado and Marc Flores each drove in two runs for Hawaii.

UH raced out to a 6-1 lead against UC Riverside starter Zach Varela, who couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning.

Flores hit a two-run single in the bottom of the first and LJ Brewster added an RBI double to make it 3-1.

Aliviado’s two-run single with two outs in the second gave Hawaii a 5-1 lead and Varela left after Ventimilia’s one-out single put runners on the corners with one out in the fourth.

Reliever Dylan Stuart gave up Hawaii’s sixth run on an errant pickoff throw to first, allowing Ventimilia to score.

That was it for the ‘Bows as Stuart faced the minimum through 5 2⁄3 hitless innings, allowing only one baserunner when he hit pinch hitter Conner George to lead off the sixth.

Stuart (2-0) earned the win and has not given up an earned run in 34 innings this season.

"We had no answer for Stuart," Trapasso said. "That guy was outstanding and we didn’t even have one solid at-bat against him."

The Highlanders sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth and chased Hawaii starter Scott Kuzminsky after Thomas Walker’s RBI single made it 6-4.

Quintin Torres-Costa allowed a walk and balked runners to second and third before giving up an RBI single to Francisco Tellez.

Kalei Hanawahine’s bobble in right allowed Andriese to also score on Tellez’s hit, tying the game at 6.

UC Riverside took its first lead in the top of the sixth when Walker doubled. Contreras was held at third on the play, but Adam Hurley’s throw from left bounced away from the cut-off man and Contreras scooted home.

Kuzminsky allowed five runs on six hits in 4 1⁄3 innings and Juliene Jones (0-2) allowed two unearned runs on three hits in three innings to take the loss.

Garza throws no-hitter

Cal State Fullerton’s Justin Garza threw the fourth no-hitter in program history in a 3-0 win over Cal State Northridge on Friday. Garza struck out 12 for the Titans, who have won six straight to get to 31-22 overall and 13-10 in the BWC.

Cal Poly (45-10, 19-5) has secured the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament; as many as three other Big West teams could earn an at-large bid.

BIG WEST STANDINGS

*includes one tie for overall record

Friday
UC Riverside 8, Hawaii 6
UC Santa Barbara 6, UC Davis 5
Long Beach State 10, UC Irvine 1
Cal State Fullerton 3, Cal State Northridge 0
Saturday
UC Riverside at Hawaii, 6:35 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara at UC Davis
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
Cal State Northridge at Cal State Fullerton

UC RIVERSIDE 8, HAWAII 6

E—Walker; Stuart; Hurley; Hanawahine; Brewster. DP—UCR 2; Hawaii 1. LOB—UCR 10; Hawaii 3. 2B—Chavez; Walker; Andriese; Ellis; Brewster. HBP—Bolasky; Walker; George. SH—Hurley; Brewster. SF—Bolasky. SB—Tellez; Ellis; Hough. CS—Chavez.

WP—Torres-Costa; Jones, J. HBP—by Jones, J. (Bolasky; Walker); by Stuart (George). BK—Torres-Costa. PB—Podratz. Umpires—(Plate): Frank Pflugradt. (First): Ryan Bleiberg. (Third): Adam Dowdy. T—2:56. A—1,982.