Stress innings?

The Hawaii baseball team found relief from four late-inning pitchers in securing Saturday’s 4-3 victory over Washington State at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Rainbow Warriors were without leadoff hitter Scotty Scott, who was rested after being banged up in the first two games of the series. Scott had led off in 60 games the past two seasons. But the ’Bows proved it was how a team finishes that matters most. And after the Cougars scored two in the fifth inning to close to 4-3, the ’Bows received a boost from the mighty ’pen.

“That was a fun college baseball game,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said. “Both teams battled. And it wasn’t super pretty because we had more walks than we would have liked. But it was fun to kind of empty the tank in the ’pen and go with matchups.”

>> PHOTOS: Hawaii vs. Washington State

Cade Halemanu pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory. Carter Loewen did not allow a run in an inning. And Jeremy Wu-Yelland came in to get the final four outs.

Wu-Yelland had pitched on Friday night, but he was ready for a hana hou.

“I’ll do what it takes to win,” Wu-Yelland said. “I’ll throw 53 games in a row if I have to.”

Wu-Yelland, a left-handed junior, kept the Cougars off balance with sliders to left-swinging batters and changeups to righties.

Wu-Yelland also fielded Collin Montez’s drag bunt and sprinted 20 feet to the bag for the unassisted out.

“I told him to take it,” first baseman Alex Baeza said, smiling. “He was doing all the work. I didn’t want to touch the ball. He was in the zone. He could do whatever he wanted with the ball. I knew he was fast. He was a two-way player his freshman year. He could have cartwheeled to first. He was shoving. I loved it.”

The ’Bows chipped away but did not oust WSU starting pitcher A.J. Block in the first four innings.

The ’Bows scored a run in the first, two in the second and another run in the fourth for a 4-1 lead. But Block, a left-hander, settled down after that.

Block showed the promise that was identified by the Detroit Tigers in June. Despite going 0-8 in 2019, Block was the Tigers’ 17th-round pick in the MLB draft. Block struck out 10 and walked two in eight innings. Block also picked off Stone Miyao at first with a quick-step move in the sixth inning. Block did not allow a hit after the fifth inning.

The ’Bows scored the game’s first run in the opening inning. Tyler Best, who batted leadoff in place of Scott, hit a drive to the base of the wall in right field for a double.

Best went to third when Dustin Demeter pulled a grounder to deep second. After Adam Fogel walked, Best scored on Baeza’s RBI fielder’s choice to short.

In the UH second, Daylen Calicdan opened with a single to left, then raced around to score when Matt Wong powered a drive to the top of the wall in left field for an RBI double.

One out later, Wong scooted to third on Best’s groundout to short, then scored when Kole Kaler grounded a single past shortstop Garrett Gouldsmith to widen the ’Bows’ lead to 3-0.

The Cougars cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the fourth. Montez, who hit two homers in Thursday’s game, this time singled to center on a 3-2 pitch. Justin Van De Brake’s single to center moved Montez to second. Both runners advanced on Preston Clifford’s sacrifice. After Jake Meyer walked to load the bases, UH starting pitcher Cade Smith was pulled. Brady Hill’s sacrifice to left plated Montez.

The ’Bows added their fourth run in the fourth inning and the Cougars cobbled two runs in the fifth to close to 4-3 but got no closer.