Power, pitching propel Rainbows past UCSB to advance in BWC tourney
FULLERTON, CALIF. >> Ben Zeigler-Namoa and Matthew Miura hit home runs to power the University of Hawaii baseball team to a 6-2 victory today over UC Santa Barbara at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
By ousting UC Santa Barbara in the lose-and-out round, the Rainbow Warriors play top-seeded UC Irvine in Thursday’s double-elimination segment of the Big West Championship Tournament.
Down 2-1 in the fifth inning, Miura drew a one-out walk and Shunsuke Sakaino followed with a single to center. Zeigler-Namoa then hit an opposite-field, three-run drive over the fence in left-center to give the ’Bows a 4-2 lead.
“Honestly, I was just going up there trying to compete,” said Zeigler-Namoa, who received approach tips from UH head coach Rich Hill and assistant coaches Dave Nakama and Lindsay Meggs on being aggressive, “especially with runners in scoring position. It’s kind of my job this year. … I was trying to be aggressive.”
Zeigler-Namoa connected on Jackson Flora’s 97-mph fastball. “He hit it pretty fat,” UCSB coach Andrew Checketts said. “Nice swing by him. He turned on a good heater and hit it a long way. … It looked like it was a little bit fat. We were trying to be a little finer on it.”
In the seventh, Hunter Faildo led off with a walk, prompting Flora’s exit. Right-swinging Miura then hit a Cole Tryba pitch off the Michelob UItra sign beyond the right-field fence.
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“On deck, Coach Dave (Nakama) told me to treat it like angle hitting,” Miura said. Most left-handers will throw a pitch that will break toward right-handed hitters.
“If it comes into you,” I try to hit it as hard as I can the other way,” Miura said. “God’s grace helped me out a little bit.”
Cory Ronan, who pitched two innings in relief of starter Cooper Walls, earned the victory. UH closer Isaiah Magdaleno, who was beckoned with one out in the seventh, earned the eight-out save, his eighth of the season. Hill said Magdaleno hungered to get into the game.
‘“Knowing Mags, he would have come in the second inning and be fine,” Hill said.
