A day after its 11-game winning streak was snapped, the Hawaii baseball team snapped back with Saturday’s 7-2 road victory over Long Beach State at Blair Field.
“It was a win or go home mentality,” UH coach Rich Hill said.
A crowd of 2,010 saw pitchers Randy Abshier, Itsuki Takemoto and Harrison Bodendorf lead the way as the Rainbow Warriors evened the three-game Big West series at a game apiece.
Abshier continued his recent mastery, allowing three hits and an unearned run in the first four innings. Abshier, a senior left-hander, extended his streak of not allowing an earned run to 22 innings. In the third, Abshier found the escape hatch after the Dirtbags loaded the bases with one out. Abshier coaxed Kyle Ashworth to fly out to left and Armando Briseno, who hit the decisive homer on Friday, to ground out to second.
“Randy battled and gave us his best stuff, but it was going to be the third time through the order,” Hill said of the decision to lift Abshier after four innings.
Takemoto pitched a scoreless fifth inning to earn the victory and improve to 3-1.
Bodendorf, who was a consideration to start in today’s series finale, replaced Takemoto at the start of the sixth inning.
“You’re in the mode that Bodendorf is going to give us between four and five quality innings,” Hill said of debating whether to use Bodendorf in relief or as a Sunday starter. “When’s the best time to do that? We’ve got the (4-1) lead. Or if we start the game, anything can happen. I decided to be aggressive and go with it.”
Bodendorf struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced. In the ninth, the Dirtbags placed runners on first and second with one out. Hill then went to the mound.
“He was kind of telling me to take a breath, slow it down,” Bodendorf recalled. “It looked like I was working a little quick there. He told me to slow it down and attack those guys.”
Hill said: “It’s never anything mechanical. It’s ‘this is what’s going to happen.’ … I told the infielders not to be too quick on double plays, no tough throws to (first baseman) Kyson (Donahue). I reminded (Bodendorf)’ those guys (on base) don’t mean anything out there. You’ve got a good defense behind you.’”
Bodendorf induced John Newman Jr. to line out to deep right. He fanned Ashworth for his career-high 10th strikeout. Bodendorf also was awarded the four-inning save, his second of the season.
Asked what worked, Bodendorf said, “everything, honestly. Fastball, change and slider. It was good to have all three going. (Against) lefties I could do fastball, slider. Righties, throw ’em fastball, changeup.”
The ’Bows received a boost from the top third of the lineup. Jordan Donahue, Jake Tsukada and Austin Machado reached base in 11 of 15 plate appearances and scored five of the ’Bows’ runs. Tsukada and Machado each had three hits.
“It was great,” Hill said. “It was the complete opposite of what happened (on Friday), when we got the leadoff guy on one time out of nine. And then you see the difference. Somebody hits a double, somebody gets that two-out base hit. It was great all the way around on the offensive side. We kept the pressure on them the entire time.”
The ’Bows improved to 33-16 overall and 16-10 in the Big West. The Dirtbags fell to 24-26-1 and 9-17.
Hill said he is leaning toward starting Brayden Marx, who was warming up in the ninth inning on Saturday. Hill said every pitcher except Abshier and Bodendorf is probably available today. Hill said Friday’s pitchers — Connor Harrison and Alex Giroux — can be used, if necessary.
