DallasJ Duarte hit a two-run homer, Cole Cabrera went 4-for-5, and Cade Halemanu, Buddie Pindel and Dalton Renne combined on a seven-hitter to lead Hawaii to a 4-1 road victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Friday at Hardt Field on the CSUB campus.

A crowd of 534 saw the Rainbow Warriors extend their season-high winning streak to seven games. The ’Bows also clinched their second Big West series in a row. The finale of the three-game series is today. Andy Archer, who pitched a partial inning of relief on Thursday, will start for UH today.

Renne was scheduled to be the ’Bows’ starter today, but he was summoned after Pindel relinquished a single to open the ninth. Renne got the final three outs for his second save of the season. UH coach Rich Hill said Renne will be available as the closer today.

Halemanu, who turned down a free-agent opportunity to return as UH’s ace, earned his first victory of the season. Halemanu (1-3) allowed five hits in six innings while striking out six. Halemanu’s only run was a bases-loaded walk to AJ Miller in the third inning. Halemanu coaxed Andrew Allanson to hit into a double play to end that threat.

“It wasn’t anything special,” Halemanu said of his ninth start. “I had to grind this one out.”

Both head coaches came away impressed with the fourth-year junior from Pearl City. CSUB’s Jeremy Beard noted Halemanu matched Blaze Koali‘i Pontes’ six-inning effort on Thursday.

“They’re pumping the zone with authority,” Beard said of Pontes and Halemanu. “They’re doing a nice job of throwing strikes in there. They’re mixing their pitches well, and they’re throwing a three-pitch mix, at minimum.”

Hill said of Halemanu: “It was great to see that out of him. We had a couple weird instances early in the game with his foot placement, all kinds of stuff. He battled through it. He maintained his velocity all the way through and, man, was good until the end. He was 92 (mph) to 94. He was 92 on his last pitch. He had three pitches going. That fastball he was able to elevate. He also that slider working, and the change-up to the lefties.”

The ’Bows did not need anything more after Duarte hit a drive to deep left for a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Cabrera’s run-scoring single in the sixth added cushion. Jacob Igawa went 3-for-4 as the ’Bows amassed 12 hits.

“We had some clutch hitting, but the pitching was really the story tonight,” Hill said.

Pindel, who replaced Halemanu at the start of the seventh, threw two scoreless innings. But Angel Saldivar’s third hit — on Pindel’s 41st pitch — led to Hill going to the bullpen. “He really only had one pitch,” Hill said of Pindel’s fastball.

Figuring Archer would be ready for today, backed by Tai Atkins and Cameron Hagan, Hill opted to beckon Renne.

“We worked too hard for that win,” Hill said of the pitching change. “That’s a series victory on the road we wanted to wrap up, and make Dalton the closer (on Saturday), as well. We pulled the trigger, and got the ‘W.’”

The ’Bows won the first two of this seven-game road trip to improve to 15-16 overall and 8-6 in the Big West. The Roadrunners fell to 14-18 and 7-4, and will take their first Big West series loss of the season.