No. 2 Vanderbilt baseball uses elite pitching to shut down Hawaii

In “Music City,” the Hawaii baseball team was swinging the blues.

The Rainbow Warriors managed two hits and struck out 16 times in a 5-1 loss to second-ranked Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field on the Nashville, Tenn., campus.

The ’Bows were contributors in their downfall in the opening of a three-game series against the defending national champion. Defensive hiccups allowed the Commodores to score two additional runs in a three-run second. Logan Pouelsen, a senior right-hander making his fourth series-opening start this season, allowed seven hits, two walks and four runs, and committed one of the ’Bows’ two balks.

“It’s disappointing because we didn’t play our best game,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said in a postgame phone interview. “Give credit to Vanderbilt. They’re (No. 2) for a reason.”

The ’Bows could not solve the 1-2 riddle of Mason Hickman and Sam Hliboki. Hickman struck out the side in the first, two more in the second, and finished with 11 strikeouts in 62⁄3 innings. Hickman exited with a 1-2 count to Dustin Demeter with one out in the seventh. Hliboki came in and threw a third strike to Demeter. Five of Hliboki’s seven outs were strikeouts, enabling him to earn his second save. Neither right-handed pitcher issued a walk.

Pouelsen worked out of a one-out, man-on-third situation in the first, but could not find the escape hatch in the second. Dominic Keegan reached when he beat out a throw that first baseman Alex Baeza could not cleanly scoop. “Baeza is usually money on those,” Trapasso said. “We’re used to our turf. Their turf is a little different.”

After Spencer Jones walked, both runners advanced on Isaiah Thomas’ groundout to second. Harrison Ray followed with a two-run single that just eluded second baseman Stone Miyao’s leaping attempt.

The Commodores loaded the bases on an ensuing single and hit batsman. Noland Parker then hit a grounder to Miyao, who flipped the ball to shortstop Kole Kaler for the second out. But Kaler double-pumped on the relay, as Parker reached safely at first and Ray trotted home with the Commodores’ third run.

In the Vanderbilt fifth, Austin Martin walked, went to second on Pouelsen’s balk, and scored on Ty Duvall’s singled up the middle.

UH’s run was manufactured when Baeza doubled, went to third on Demeter’s sacrifice, and scored when a third strike to Miyao eluded the catcher for a wild pitch.

“We could have really been in that game closer than we were,” Trapasso said. “That’s why we have to be as good as we’re capable of being on the mound and defensively. We know we’re not going to scratch a lot of runs across.”

Trapasso added: “The story was the dominance of their pitching.”

Friday’s installment was the first in a trilogy. Today, the Commodores will start their ace, Kumar Rocker, who is widely favored as the overall No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. Rocker, who is 6-5 and 255 pounds, has a 98-mph fastball and averages 15.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Sunday’s Vanderbilt pitcher, Jake Eder, is a lefty who also can throw up to 98 mph.

“The next two arms we’re going to face, I don’t know how you can get a lot better than what we saw tonight, but you will,” Trapasso said.

The ’Bows are 7-4. The Commodores are 9-2 after winning their eighth in a row.