Hawaii baseball team holds off Cal State Fullerton
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii head coach Rich Hill talks to his team on April 6.
The Hawaii baseball team held off a frenetic Cal State Fullerton surge for today’s 8-7 victory at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
By winning the opener of a three-game road series, the Rainbow Warriors moved into fifth place by .0015 over UC Santa Barbara in the Big West. The ’Bows are 30-17 overall and 13-12 in the Big West. Five teams qualify for the Big West tournament, which also will be held in Fullerton. The Titans, who fell to 26-23 and 16-9, missed a chance to clinch a tournament berth on Friday.
The ’Bows relied on seven doubles, including a school-record five in the second inning, to take an 8-2 lead in the top of the fourth.
But the Titans chipped away with single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh to close to 8-5.
In the ninth, Matthew Bardowell doubled to the right-field corner against UH closer Isaiah Magdaleno. One out later, Eli Lopez hit a drive to deep center. Center fielder Matthew Miura crashed into the fence while attempting to make a catch on the run. As Miura fell into a heap, Lopez circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park homer to cut the deficit to 8-7.
Paul Contreras, who belted a massive home run in the seventh, struck out for the second out. But pinch-hitters Jack Burke and Marco Rosales hit back-to-back singles to place Titans at the corners. That brought up freshman Carter Johnstone, the Titans’ leading hitter. Magdaleno struck out Johnstone for his sixth save, and first since April 4.
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“That’s our guy,” UH coach Rich Hill said of Magdaleno. “He’s been that way all year. Hey, win or lose, we’re going with Mags. He’s got some real guts; guts of a burglar.”
Third baseman Elijah Ickes, who missed 18 games because of a hand injury, returned to the UH lineup, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
