Hawaii baseball team break even with a 9-2 victory over UC Davis at Les Murakami Stadium

The Hawaii baseball team broke even with a breakthrough 9-2 victory over UC Davis at Les Murakami Stadium.

In sweeping the four-game series, the Rainbow Warriors won a Big West game on a Sunday for the first time this season. The ’Bows also returned to .500 in league play at 12-12.

“It was great, awesome,” third baseman Stone Miyao said of the sweep. Miyao said the ’Bows were not preoccupied with their previous zip-for-five record on Big West Sundays. “We go into every game the same,” Miyao said. “We play hard and work hard.”

The ’Bows followed coach Mike Trapasso’s mandate to avoid pop-ups and lazy flyouts on offense and pitch to the lower section of the strike zone.

“Coach pounded into our mind (the) line drive is way better than the pop-up,” said Miyao, whose three Sunday hits completed a 9-for-18 weekend. First baseman Alex Baeza and center fielder Adam Fogel also busted out of stagnant offensive stretches. On Sunday, Baeza was 3-for-4 and drove in four runs. Fogel was 2-for-4. This series, Baeza hit .389 and Fogel batted .588.

“To put it together for four games, that’s a good weekend,” Trapasso said. “It’s a good start for us to get things going now that we’re back to .500. It starts with playing well and playing consistently for a four-game stretch. I credit our guys for staying with the approach and eliminating the noise to keep it simple and play well in all phases.”

Unheralded in the box score was the ’Bows’ fielding. With UH leading 1-0 and Aggies at the corners in the fifth, Michael Campagna flied out. But right fielder Scotty Scott’s powerful throw kept Colton Evans at third.

In the sixth, the Aggies closed to 5-2 and placed a runner at second with two outs. Evans pulled a hard grounder down the first-base line. Baeza made a diving stop, then sprinted to the bag just ahead of Evans for the third out.

“That was a quick reaction,” said Baeza, who is 6 feet 4. “I saw him hauling down the line, and I thought I was going to have to dive for the bag. I have long enough legs. I got to out-stride him.”

Miyao also made several plays — some routine, some artistic — at third. Miyao was drafted to play third because a foot ailment restricted Dustin Demeter to designated hitter and a hand injury sidelined Matt Campos. Miyao had 17 assists during the series.

“He showed some range you don’t see out of most third basemen,” Trapasso said of Miyao. “It’s not just the plays he made. He’s getting to a lot of balls a lot of third basemen don’t. I think that’s going to bode well.”

The ’Bows entered the series short-handed on pitching because of the unavailability of Austin Teixeira (triceps) and Brandon Ross (elbow). Through Saturday, Trapasso listed UH’s Sunday as “TBA.” That turned out to be code for Logan Pouelsen, who had struggled in three of four starts this season.

“In practice this week, I noticed the ball was coming out of his hand better,” Trapasso said of Pouelsen.

In six innings, Pouelsen allowed one run while striking out four and walking none. “He was pretty much all fastball, slider,” Trapasso said. “He located (the fastball) and the slider was good. … He was down in the zone for the most part.”

Trapasso said Pouelsen’s velocity touched 92 mph. “You could see early on that was the Logan we know and love,” Trapasso said. “That’s where it all starts. It always starts on the mound with the guy there and what kind of effort he gives us. He gave us a tremendous effort to give us six innings, one run, with the struggles we’ve had on Sundays.”

Jake Hymel, who replaced Pouelsen at the start of the seventh, gave up three hits and a run as the Aggies closed to 5-2. But Baeza initiated a rare 3-6-3-4 double play to minimize the UCD rally. Baeza’s two-run single in UH’s four-run eighth ended any suspense.

“Overall,” Baeza said, “it was just a great team win.”