On precedent’s night, the Hawaii baseball team continued to impose its new style — opportunistic offense and gritty pitching — for a 7-4 victory over Washington State at Les Murakami Stadium.
Before a crowd of 1,368 on Monday night, the Rainbow Warriors split the season- opening, four-game series against the Pac-12 opponent.
Five UH pitchers combined on a five-hitter, although they beaned six WSU batters and survived the Cougars’ two-run rally in the ninth.
The ‘Bows launched only two drives to the outfield in the first seven innings — Aaron Ujimori’s flyout in the first and Jacob Igawa’s sacrifice fly in the two-run seventh.
The ’Bows cobbled their first four runs, for a 4-2 lead, without an RBI.
Leading 3-2 in the seventh, the ’Bows scored two unearned runs to provide cushion. With one out, Scotty Scott was hit by a pitch and Ujimori walked. Cole Cabrera then hit a hard grounder that WSU second baseman Kyle Russell flubbed. Russell tried to catch Scott, who had sprinted around third, in a rundown. But Russell’s throw went past third baseman Jack Smith as Scott scored. Ujimori and Cabrera sprinted to third and second on Russell’s second error of the sequence. Ujimori scored on Igawa’s sacrifice fly to expand the ’Bows’ lead to 5-2.
The ’Bows made the most of their second hit of the game. In the fourth, Cabrera grounded to third and appeared to outrace the throw to first that sailed past first baseman Jacob McKeon. Cabrera, who was credited with a single, went to second on the throwing error. Cabrera advanced to third on Igawa’s groundout to McKeon. Later, Matt Wong swung and missed at a third-strike pitch. The ball ricocheted off catcher Jake Meyer’s mitt as Cabrera raced home to close the ’Bows to 2-1.
The ’Bows then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Aribal reached on a one-out single to deep short. Aribal moved to second on Scott’s single to third. After Ujimori struck out, Cabrera walked to load the bases. Chase Grillo then was summoned to replace Tyler Hoeft with two outs.
Igawa whiffed on Grillo’s two-strike pitch, but the ball skipped away from Meyer. Aribal and Scott both sprinted home for the 3-2 lead.
The ’Bows added two runs on two bases-loaded walks in the ninth.
The ’Bows were able to deny the Cougars with clutch pitching. Tai Atkins struck out four in two innings of relief. When the Cougars loaded the bases on an error, a walk and a hit batsman, Dalton Renne was beckoned for his first appearance of the season. Renne struck out Kodie Kolden and Bryce Matthews, then induced Jack Smith to ground out to short to end the fifth-inning threat. Renne pitched 31⁄3 scoreless innings before departing with the bases empty and one out in the eighth.
The ’Bows also came up with big plays on defense. Ujimori, who moved from second to third this season, made a diving catch of Justin Van De Brake’s liner to end the second. Cabrera, in center, slid to secure Hylan Hall’s sinking liner. And shortstop Jordan Donahue knocked down a hard shot and threw out McKeon.
