The Hawaii baseball team withstood Cal State Fullerton’s best shots for Friday’s 8-7 victory at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
With 902 in attendance, the Titans placed the potential tying and winning runs at the corners with two outs in the ninth. With no relievers warming up in the UH bullpen, closer Isaiah Magdaleno struck out Carter Johnstone, the Titans’ leading hitter, for his sixth save, and first since April 4.
“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.”
By winning the opener of a three-game road series, the Rainbow Warriors moved into a tie for fourth place, .0015 over UC Santa Barbara in the Big West. The ’Bows are 30-17 overall and 13-12 in the Big West. UCSB has a bye from Big West play this weekend, which the 14-13 Gauchos are filling with a nonconference series against Loyola Marymount
Five teams qualify for the Big West tournament, which also will be held in Fullerton in two weeks. The Titans, who fell to 26-23 and 16-9, missed a chance to clinch a tournament berth on Friday.
“I don’t know if the standings are important at all (at this point),” Hill said. “Winning the next game, stacking innings, that’s the main thing. When the dust clears, it’s going to clear. We’re not going to scoreboard watch.”
The ’Bows relied on eight doubles, including a school-record five in the second inning, to take an 8-2 lead in the top of the fourth.
Itsuki Takemoto, Jared Quandt and Elijah Ickes hit consecutive doubles to tie it at 2-all in the second. After Jordan Donahue walked, Konnor Palmeira stroked a two-run double to make it 4-2. Shunsuke Sakaino’s RBI groundout completed the ’Bows’ five-run second inning.
Ickes’ two-run double expanded the ’Bows’ lead to 7-2 in the third. Matthew Miura hit a solo drive off the new scoreboard in left-center 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 Magdaleno. One out later, Eli Lopez hit a drive to deep center. 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 Johnstone, a top candidate for freshman of the year. But Magdaleno struck out Johnstone to end the game.
Ickes, who missed 18 games because of a hand injury, returned to the UH lineup as the third baseman, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Hill mused that Ickes’ performance was an In-N-Out Burger order. “A double-double,” he said.
Hill also said Takemoto rebounded from a challenging start. Takemoto allowed two runs on two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly in the first. But Hill stuck with Takemoto, who pitched a scoreless second and third. He exited after allowing a one-out single and walk in the fourth.
“He really gave us a couple good innings today,” Hill said. “Without that, I don’t think we win the game. He got roughed up early, and he really came back and showed a lot of grit. I’m really proud of him.
Cory Ronan and Freddy Rodriguez combined to pitch 32⁄3 innings as the bridge to Magdaleno.
