Two cousins combined to deliver Hawaii a 6-5 baseball victory over San Diego State at Les Murakami Stadium.
A crowd of 1,865 saw Jordan Donahue’s bases-loaded, walk-off single bring home Kyson Donahue with the winning run in the 10th inning as the Rainbow Warriors completed the sweep of the three-game series. The ’Bows improved to 15-7. The Aztecs fell to 6-16.
The ’Bows won the first two games by an aggregate 32-5. But on Sunday, the ’Bows needed three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to force extra innings. The ’Bows walked 10 times, and did not strike out for the first time since 2014.
Kyson Donahue drew a walk to lead off the UH 10th.
“Early in the count, I got a pitch that I thought I could (drive deep),” Donahue said. “I took a hack early in the count. After I got that one hack out of the way, I tried to stay simple. I was trying to get on base at that point, either a base hit up the middle or take a walk.”
With SDSU third baseman Colby Turner playing in to attack a bunt, UH coach Rich Hill then signaled for a fake steal. As Donahue bluffed a move, SDSU shortstop Finley Bates broke toward the second-base bag. DallasJ Duarte then hit a grounder into the spot vacated by Bates for a single to left as Donahue sped to third.
“I tried to make as much noise to act like I’m running, like going, ‘sss-sss,’” Donahue said of his fake. “I tried to fake it that way because I’m not a fast guy. Dallas did a great job. That was awesome.”
Duarte said: “Coach Rich did a great job. He’s a great coach. He called a fake steal from Kyson, which caused the shortstop to move a little bit. I saw a fastball, something I could touch. I tried to get on top of it.”
During an offensive timeout, Hill said he told Duarte: “the only way it’s going work is if you pull it. That time it worked.”
Elijah Ickes was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Jordan Donahue then smacked a 2-2 pitch off the wall in right-center for the game winner.
“That goes to show everybody did their job getting me up in that situation,” Jordan Donahue said. “That at bat, I was looking for something up so I could get it in the air. It was a fastball right down the middle. … I knew I won it, but I also thought it had a chance (to clear the fence). It was a game winner, I can’t complain.”
The Aztecs built a 5-1 lead and were cruising behind right-hander Xavier Cardenas III, who was making his sixth — and best — start of the season. Cardenas allowed two hits in his first seven scoreless innings.
“There just was no panic in the dugout,” Hill said. “We talked earlier in the day that we’re never out of the fight. That’s our mentality.”
The ’Bows ousted Cardenas in a three-run eighth to close to 5-4. They stranded runners at second and third in the inning.
In the ninth, Austin Machado reached on a ground single to third, then kept sprinting to second when Turner’s throw from third eluded first baseman Tino Bethancourt. Naighel Alii Calderon, pinch running for Machado, came home with the tying run on Matthew Miura’s single to left field.
“This team never quits,” Jordan Donahue said. “We’re going to play our game. The big thing for us is we’re never going to flinch.”
Hill credited relievers Connor Harrison, Nainoa Cardinez and Danny Veloz for not allowing a run in the final five innings.
“I told the team after the game, ‘hey, Jordan’s big hit doesn’t happen without our relief pitching. Connor, Cardinez and Veloz, those guys go one time through the order each guy, and roll out zeros. Credit to them. Veloz was great. Overall, great team win.
Veloz, who improved to 4-0, said: “All my stuff felt good. And I trusted the pitch calling. … Once again, I was heavy on the slider. I’ve been feeling it the past two weeks. My slider is my go-to (pitch).”
HAWAII 6, SAN DIEGO STATE 5
10 INN.
AZTECS AB R H BI BB SO
Bates ss 5 0 0 0 0 2
Montoya rf 5 3 3 0 0 0
Weems cf 2 1 0 1 1 0
Turner 3b 3 1 0 0 1 0
Bethancourt 1b 4 0 2 4 0 0
Whittle c 4 0 0 0 0 1
Rutter dh 3 0 0 0 0 2
McCombs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0
Quezada 2b 4 0 2 0 0 1
Jackson lf 4 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 35 5 7 5 2 6
RAINBOW WARRIORS AB R H BI BB SO
J. Donahue ss 6 0 2 1 0 0
Tsukada lf 5 0 0 0 0 0
Machado c 4 1 1 0 1 0
Calderon pr 0 1 0 0 0 0
Miura cf 4 1 1 1 1 0
Zeigler-Namoa rf 3 0 0 0 2 0
Miyao 2b 1 1 0 0 2 0
Rimmer ph 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ujimori ph/2b 2 1 0 1 0 0
K. Donahue 1b 2 1 2 0 1 0
Duarte dh/c 4 0 1 2 0 0
Ickes 3b 1 0 0 0 3 0
TOTALS 32 6 7 5 10 0
SDSU (6-16) 202 010 000 0 — 5 7 2
Hawaii (15-7, 2-1) 010 000 031 1 — 6 7 1
E–Turner, Quezada; J. Donahue. DP–
SDSU 1; Hawaii 1. LOB–SDSU 3, Hawaii
13. 2B–Montoya, Bethancourt; K. Donahue. 3B–Montoya. HBP–K. Donahue. SH–
Ickes. SF–Weems; Duarte. SB–Qiezada; J.
Donahue. CS–Quezada.
Note: None out, 3 runners LOB when the
game ended.
SAN DIEGO STATE IP H R ER BB SO
Cardenas 7 2 3 2 7 0
Canavan 0 0 1 0 1 0
Araiza (L, 0-1) 2 5 2 1 2 0
HAWAII IP H R ER BB SO
Itsuki 12
3 3 2 2 1 1
Magdaleno 21
3 3 2 2 1 2
Harrison 2 1 1 1 0 2
Cardinez 2 0 0 0 0 0
Veloz (W, 4-0) 2 0 0 0 0 1
WP–Canavan. HBP–by Cardenas (K. Donahue), by Cardenas (K. Donahue). PB–
Whittle. Umpires—(Plate): Alex Ortiz. (First):
Blake Davis. (Third): Eric Martinez. T—3:26.
A–3166.
