’Bows deliver 4-1 baseball victory over Air Force

Hawaii’s 1-2 pitching combo delivered a 4-1 baseball victory over Air Force at Les Murakami Stadium.

A Saturday evening crowd of 1,919 saw the ’Bows win the first two games of a season for the first time since 2011.

“We’ve done a good job of taking care of the baseball,” said coach Mike Trapasso, whose ’Bows allowed only two walks for the second game in a row.

Dominic DeMiero and Colin Ashworth combined on a six-hitter for the ’Bows.

Near the end of the 2017 season, DeMiero suffered from fatigue known as a “dead” left (pitching) arm. But in the second of this four-game series, DeMiero was dead on, striking out five while allowing four hits and a walk in six innings.

DeMiero struggled to locate his slider. But he was on the mark with a fastball and change-up.

“I had to play around and find a good rhythm with what was working,” DeMiero said.

Trapasso said: “With the way he was throwing tonight was pretty impressive. You always talk about the mark of a good pitcher is to be successful when you don’t have your good stuff. That was Dom.”

In the fifth, DeMiero escaped a one-out jam with Falcons on second and third. He coaxed a flyout to short right and then an inning-ending groundout.

Ashworth, a fifth-year senior, pitched the final three innings for the first save of his UH career. He struck out six, throwing strikes on 40 of 56 pitches.

“I wanted to get out there and establish myself, establish the fastball early,” Ashworth said. “Coach Trap did a great job mixing in the sliders often.”

With a 4-1 lead entering the ninth, Trapasso opted to stick with Ashworth instead of summoning closer Dylan Thomas. Thomas now will be available to pitch in either game of today’s doubleheader.

“I don’t really picture myself as a closer, but I had that bulldog mentality to keep rolling with it,” Ashworth said.

Right fielder Adam Fogel went 3-for-3, including two doubles, and scored two runs and drove in another.

Air Force pitcher Matt Hargreaves entered having lasted six full innings only four times in 15 career starts. He lasted only 4 2⁄3 innings, being pulled with UH’s Maaki Yamazaki on third.

The ’Bows scored a run in the sixth to extend their lead to 4-1. Fogel walked and, one out later, Eric Ramirez drew a walk. The ’Bows filled the bases when Air Force first baseman Nic Ready mishandled Johnny Weeks’ hard grounder. Fogel then scored on Ethan Lopez’s sacrifice fly to left field.

The ’Bows took a 3-1 lead in the second. Ethan Lopez opened with a double off the wall in right field. He went to third on Yamazaki’s groundout to first. Then center fielder Dylan Vchulek, who was hitless in his first five at-bats this season, singled to right to score Lopez for a 2-1 advantage.

After Vchulek was caught stealing, designated hitter Kekai Rios doubled to right. Second baseman Dustin Demeter then drew a walk. Fogel blooped a double just inside the right-field line — his second consecutive double — to bring home Rios with UH’s third run.

The Falcons, who were shut out on Friday night, wasted little time in scoring their first run of the season. With two outs in the first inning, Ready blasted a change-up over the wall in left-center. Ready’s father is Randy Ready, who played 13 major league seasons.

The ’Bows tied it at 1 on the bottom of the first. Fogler rocketed a double into the left-field corner. Catcher Chayce Ka‘aua followed with a line-drive single to right. Right fielder Ashton Easley’s throw sailed over catcher Rob Dau and to the backstop, enabling Fogler to scoot home.