On a wet and windy Manoa night, the UC Irvine baseball team held on for a 6-5 victory over Hawaii at Les Murakami Stadium.

A crowd of 1,763 saw the Rainbow Warriors strand the potential tying and winning runs in the ninth inning.

“We had a lot of opportunities to win, and so did they,” UH left fielder Scotty Scott said, “and the difference was the best team doesn’t always win. It’s the team that executes the most, and they were able to do that tonight.”

Justin Torres’ only hit in four at-bats — a run-scoring double in the eighth — broke a 5-all tie, helping the Anteaters remain unbeaten in four Big West games. They are 14-7 overall. The ’Bows fell to 7-13 overall and 1-3 in the Big West. The second of this three-game series is tonight, with Andy Archer’s first pitch set for 6:35.

The ’Bows stranded 11 runners, with the elements being uncooperative.

After scoring two runs in the fourth to tie it at 2-all, the ’Bows missed a chance to go ahead when Stone Miyao’s loud drive to right died short of the warning track.

Down 6-5 in the eighth, Aaron Ujimori reached on a two-out single to left field. Naighel Ali‘i Calderon entered as a pinch runner for Ujimori. Calderon is recovering from surgery on the hamate in his left hand. The ailment prevents him from fielding, but not from running. He is the fastest ’Bow. Calderon stole second as Scott worked the count to 3-0. UH head coach Rich Hill then gave Scott the go-ahead to swing. Scott pulled a towering drive that ran out of oomph in right field.

“The wind will really pick up and really die,” Hill said. “I thought Scotty kind of got that ball.”

Scott said: “I appreciate Coach Hill trusting me with the 3-0 green light. Wind was blowing all day. I’m not the kind of guy to try to hit the ball in the air. When I do, it’s an accident. I’m trying to hit the ball hard on a line and, hopefully, the ball doesn’t get in the air. That Manoa wind we’ve come to love can help me out. It didn’t. The game’s bigger than one swing.”

In the ninth, DallasJ Duarte walked and Jacob Igawa singled to right. But Troy Taylor got the final three outs for his third save. This month, Taylor has a 1.64 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.

Hill praised his bullpen. Dalton Renne allowed one run in three innings. Blaze Koali‘i Pontes and Harry Gustin combined for a scoreless ninth.

“A lot of positives,” Hill said, “other than the final score.”

The ’Bows tied it at 5 in the sixth with their longest contact going 6 feet. Down 5-4, Cole Cabrera drew a walk and Miyao was struck by a Gordon Ingebritson pitch. Both runners advanced on Jordan Donahue’s sacrifice. Cabrera raced home with the tying run when Ujimori put down a safety squeeze.

The Anteaters broke a 2-all tie in the top of the fifth.

UH starting pitcher Cade Halemanu was pulled after walking the first two Anteaters. Woody Hadeen’s sacrifice advanced the runners. After Tai Atkins struck out Ben Fitzgerald, right fielder Nathan Church, the Anteaters’ best hitter, was walked intentionally.

Then Thomas McCaffrey drove an Atkins pitch into the left-center gap, clearing the bases and giving the Anteaters the lead, 5-2.

The ’Bows relied on their new accelerated attack to tie it at 2 in the fourth. UCI right-hander Michael Frias walked Duarte and Igawa to open the UH fourth. Frias struck out Matt Wong for the first out. On a 1-0 pitch to Kyson Donahue, Duarte and Igawa advanced on a double steal. Those were the 31st and 32nd steals for the Bows. Last season, the Bows were 34-for-51 on steals in 50 games.

Cole Cabrera, who entered hitting .300 with runners in scoring position, drilled a line drive to left to bring home Durate and Igawa.