For the University of Hawaii baseball team, there’s no place like dome.
Jackson Rees allowed four unearned runs and catcher Kekai Rios hit his first homer of the season to lead the Rainbow Warriors to a 6-4 victory over Oral Roberts and win the Dairy Queen Classic Championship. The ’Bows finished 3-1 in U.S. Bank Stadium, the domed football home of the Minnesota Vikings, and 2-1 in the four-team tournament.
It was another strong pitching performance for the ’Bows, who issued three walks during this four-game trip. Rees’ complete-game victory came a day after Neil Uskali’s five-hit shutout.
“Eighteen innings without an earned run to finish the tournament — both complete games — is impressive,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
Rees, who is 6 feet 5, relies on a cutter and slider thrown from a unique over-the-top motion.
“He gets good downward tilt,” Trapasso said. “When he’s pitching well, he’ll get some ground balls. It’s hard to lift the ball off him.”
Rees induced 13 groundouts, two of which were parlayed into double plays in the second and eighth innings. Rees surrendered a three-run homer to second baseman Nick Roark that was preceded by shortstop Dustin Demeter’s two-out error. The Golden Eagles’ final run was aided when a passed ball advanced a runner into scoring position.
But the ’Bows, who entered the trip with a .202 average, provided enough support with another productive game. They amassed 11 hits on Sunday, and hit .301 during the trip.
Right fielder Alex Fitchett was 8-for-16 with two home runs this trip. On Sunday, he had a single, double and triple.
“Fitchett came alive this weekend,” Trapasso said. “He was a beast.”
Fitchett was susceptible to strikeouts last year, and he had five this week. But he also has shown restraint in not chasing pitches out of the strike zone.
“He’s seeing the baseball better,” Trapasso said. “He’s laying off the off-speed (pitches). He’s had great zone discipline laying off the slider off the zone. When he’s hunting the fastball, he’s getting it. He’s showing up. He’s getting it rather than missing it or fouling it off.”
Rios’ availability was in question when he was diagnosed with strep throat a week ago, preventing him from accompanying teammates on their flights to Minnesota. But his health improved, and he arrived in time to play in the Dairy Queen opener against Iowa on Friday.
Rios’ homer made it 5-3 in the seventh. He also drove in a run with a two-out single in the first.
The ’Bows return to Honolulu today, and will resume workouts Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start to a four-game series against Sacred Heart at Aloha Stadium.
