Hawaii’s heart-warming story turned into heartache as Oregon rallied for an 8-7 baseball victory at Les Murakami Stadium.

A Sunday-matinee crowd of 1,644 witnessed the Ducks score three runs in the ninth to complete a comeback from a 7-4 deficit.

The outcome overshadowed the UH debut of designated hitter Max Crabbe, who singled in each of his first three at-bats, driving in five runs.

“He had a great day,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said of Crabbe, a freshman who was a DNP in the previous 15 games. “It could have been a great story.”

But the Ducks rewrote the feel-good script against the Rainbow Warriors’ inconsistent bullpen. In the past two games, the ’Bows squandered late leads, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits and five walks in five innings.

On Sunday, the Ducks closed to 7-5 on Aaron Zavala’s sacrifice fly in the seventh, then tied it on his two-run double in the ninth. Zavala scored what proved to be the decisive run when Tanner Smith pulled a drive into right field off Scott Bellina, UH’s fifth pitcher.

“We have to be better,” said Trapasso, whose ’Bows fell to 8-8 after losing the final three of this four-game series. “We have to make better pitches out of the bullpen, and we will. … I really like this team. But we have to get healthy and we have to get better out of the bullpen. No excuses. We weren’t good out of the bullpen the last two games.”

The ’Bows should get a boost with the eventual return of freshman right-hander Aaron Davenport, who missed the series because of a strained arm. Trapasso said Davenport, who has made three starts, is expected to move to reliever. Trapasso said Davenport will begin a throwing program today.

Once again, Trapasso had to rearrange the lineup, then tinker some more, to adjust to an expanding injury list. Center fielder Adam Fogel will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury. Catcher Dallas Duarte sat out his fifth consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Third baseman Ethan Lopez did not start on Sunday because of a strained calf. And shortstop Maaki Yamazaki exited in the sixth inning after aggravating a groin injury.

That forced UH to play Logan Pouelsen, the usual designated hitter, at third base. When Pouelsen was summoned to pitch, catcher Tyler Murray moved to third. Murray’s only experience as an infielder was playing short during batting practice.

“We’re basically playing every infielder except (first baseman Alex) Baeza out of position, and yet we still should have won the game if we pitched well,” Trapasso said.

Trapasso also decided to start right-swinging Crabbe to counter left-handed starter Cole Stringer. In two previous appearances, Stringer did not allow a hit to a left-swinging batter.

Crabbe, a catcher from Newport Beach, Calif., provided an offensive punch with a two-run single in the first, an RBI single in the third, and a two-run hit in the fifth.

“When the game started, I had butterflies, but the older guys calmed me down,” Crabbe said. “They got excited for me. They know what I’m capable of. … It was one of the best moments of my life. I waited my entire life for it. I seized the opportunity. I tried to make my family and team proud.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Baeza smacked a two-run homer over the wall in right field for a 7-4 lead. It was his fourth home run of the season.

But the ’Bows could not maintain their grip. And Oregon’s Robert Ahlstrom, who started in the series opener on Thursday, entered as a reliever on Sunday. He retired all six batters he faced, striking out the final six.

“Disappointment,” Trapasso said. “We’ll get it figured out.”