The Hawaii baseball team played small ball in a big way for a 6-4 victory over Hawaii Hilo at Les Murakami Stadium.
A Saturday-matinee crowd of 994 saw the Rainbow Warriors parlay selfless at-bats — three sacrifice flies and a safety squeeze — into four runs while not issuing a walk in the final eight innings nor committing an error in the two-game series.
“We saw what our team is capable of doing from a pitching and defensive standpoint,” coach Mike Trapasso said of the ’Bows’ season-opening sweep. “We had two walks in two games total. We had no errors in two games total. We made some outstanding plays on the left side of the infield.”
The ’Bows reshaped their infield following last season’s graduations of shortstop Maaki Yamazaki and third baseman Ethan Lopez. Shortstop Kole Kaler, who transferred from South Mountain Community College in August, was 3-for-4.
>> PHOTOS: Hawaii Hilo vs. Hawaii
Third baseman Dustin Demeter, who hit the walk-off homer in Friday’s comeback victory, came back on Saturday to drive in two runs, on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and a triple to break a 4-all tie in UH’s three-run seventh.
“I’m seeing it good now,” said Demeter, who has 20/15 vision with contract lenses. “I waited for my pitch. Good things happen when you wait for your pitch.”
Demeter has made an easy adjustment as a hitter and fielder after missing the 2019 season because of surgeries to both hips. He played shortstop as a freshman in 2017 and second in 2018.
“Kaler did a great job,” said Scotty Scott, UH’s left fielder and leadoff hitter. “Demeter is on fire. He’s a big part of our team.”
During fall training, Trapasso decided to embrace an approach that was conducive to the ’Bows’ pitching — the hurlers threw strikes at 75% — and the deep gaps and cross winds at Murakami Stadium. That meant pitchers “pounding the zone” — vernacular for throwing low strikes — playing solid defense, hitting to the gaps and advancing runners by any means.
The ’Bows stole three bases. They tied it at 2 in the third when Tyler Best reached on third baseman Lucas Sakay’s throwing error, went to second on Scott’s drag bunt for a single, scooted to third on Kaler’s sacrifice, and scored on the first of Adam Fogel’s two sacrifice flies.
“I put a decent swing on the ball and tried to execute,” Fogel said.
In the UH fourth, Matt Wong blooped a double, went to third on Alex Baeza’s bloop single, and scored when Dallas Duarte pushed a bunt to the right side.
“The second factor of close-game anatomy is the leadoff hitter,” Trapasso said. “Keep the leadoff hitter off the base on defense, and get your leadoff hitter on base on offense. That’s something we’re going to have to do.”
The ’Bows retired eight of the nine Vulcans leading off an inning. In the Hilo third, Jacob Igawa reached on a single but was caught stealing on a laser from Duarte to Kaler.
Four times, the ’Bows’ leadoff hitter scored, including two runs by Scott.
Trapasso said starting pitcher Aaron Davenport struggled with his secondary pitches — six hits and a walk in three innings — necessitating a quick hook.
Cade Smith went four innings, throwing strikes on 84.3% of his 51 pitches, and regained composure after yielding a two-run homer to Jaryn Kanbara in the seventh.
“Riding a roller coaster is pretty dangerous, honestly,” Smith said. “I tried to keep level-headed and keep focusing on what I can control.”
Trapasso praised Smith’s grittiness. He added that Smith has merited a start for next weekend’s four-game series against North Dakota State.
Trapasso also said freshman Vince Reilly has crafted a relief role. Reilly earned the save after two innings of scoreless relief.
“He’s a freshman who came in and really pounded the zone,” Trapasso said of Reilly. “He wasn’t scared. He attacked with three-pitch command. Six pitches an inning, 12 pitches in two innings.”
