Washington State rallies by Hawaii baseball team in opener

Jake Meyer rocketed an opposite-field homer to right-center in the eighth inning to boost Washington State to a season-opening 5-4 baseball victory over Hawaii.

At 4 hours, 27 minutes, it was the longest non-extra-inning game in UH baseball history.

A boisterous crowd of 2,146 in Les Murakami Stadium saw the Rainbow Warriors drop the first of a four-game series and spoil Rich Hill’s debut as UH head coach. After 23 seasons at the University of San Diego, Hill was hired last June to succeed Mike Trapasso, whose expiring contract was not renewed.

It was 4-all when Meyer smacked freshman Harry Gustin’s 3-0 pitch. Gustin, the third of four UH pitchers, had worked out of a sixth-inning jam in relief of Buddie Pindel.

In the UH ninth, Cole Cabrera opened with a single to left. After two popups, Cabrera stole second. Matt Wong then drew a walk. Pinch runner Matt Aribal replaced Wong. But both runners were stranded when Aaron Ujimori grounded out to first. The ’Bows left 12 runners on base.

For the most part, the ’Bows executed Hill’s strategy of aggressive base-running, going deep into counts to tax the Cougars’ pitchers, and play a sticky defense.

The ’Bows coaxed four walks and 36 pitches from WSU starter Grant Taylor in the first inning. They scored their first run without a hit. And they unharnessed their speed game. Last year, the ’Bows averaged 0.68 steals per game. On Friday, the ’Bows stole six bases.

Naighel Ali‘i Calderon, who can blaze 60 yards in 6.3 seconds, was in the lineup as the designated hitter. Calderon swiped three bases, including two in the second inning. He also had two bunt singles. On the second one, in the eighth inning, Calderon sprinted to second on Scotty Scott’s sacrifice. But while trying to extend his lead, Calderon was picked off second when left-handed pitcher Cam Liss pirouetted and fired to shortstop Kodie Kolden.

UH ace Cade Halemanu struck out four in his first two scoreless innings. But he departed after four innings, when his pitch odometer hit 78.

The Cougars had tied the game twice. Designated hitter Bryce Matthews knotted it at 3 in he fourth when he pulled a two-run drive over the fence in right-center. Matthews is playing for his third school in three years, having started his career at Arkansas before transferring to Eastern Oklahoma State. Matthews’ cousin is Damon Stoudamire, a Boston Celtics assistant coach who played 13 NBA seasons.

UH answered in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead. Cabrera, a Punahou School graduate who transferred from Cal Poly last summer, reached on a grounder to deep short. Cabrera scooted to second on Jacob Igawa’s groundout and scored on Stone Miyao’s liner to right to put the ’Bows ahead, 4-3.

Then the Cougars tied it again, at 4-all, in the sixth on Kyle Russell’s RBI single to right. But Jake Meyer held up at third in respect to right fielder Wong’s strong arm. Gustin entered and, after plunking a batter, got the next two outs to quell the bases-loaded threat.

The ’Bows scored the game’s first run after loading the bases with three first-inning walks. Miyao’s sacrifice fly plated Scotty Scott.

In the second inning, Dallas Duarte and Calderon opened with back-to-back bunt singles. Duarte eventually scored on Jordan Donahue’s bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0. Calderon sprinted home on a wild pitch that squirted only five feet from the plate.