The University of Hawaii baseball team feasted on a mixed plate of opportunistic hitting and redemptive pitching to defeat Washington State 6-3 at Les Murakami Stadium.

A Sunday afternoon crowd of 1,551 saw the Rainbow Warriors deliver Rich Hill his first victory as a Rainbow Warrior head coach. Hill was hired in June after 23 years at the University of San Diego, succeeding Mike Trapasso, who was not offered a contract extension.

“It hasn’t really sunk in,” Hill told reporters in a post-game gathering. “It’s not about me. … I’m glad we got the win. I’m glad we got the win for the fans here that were electric on a Sunday. … I’m really happy for our players. After two very tough games … to come out here on a Sunday on a quick turnaround, and really have some energy, really execute and put it on them in the first inning. It’s all about these young people here and the fans of Hawaii.”

In losing the first two of this four-game series, the ’Bows failed to cash in 14 of 16 times with runners in scoring position. But on Sunday, the ’Bows scored four two-out runs in the first inning. Nainoa Cardinez was plunked with the bases loaded. Aaron Ujimori followed with single to left to bring home Matt Wong and Jacob Igawa.

“I was trying to see something over the plate, trying to hit it hard (but) not trying to do too much,” said Ujimori, who admittedly pressed in the first two games. “Just trying to go back to what I know — being simple, go back to a two-strike, put-the-ball-in-play-hard (approach).”

In the fifth, designated hitter Jacob Igawa drove a first-pitch fastball over the fence in right-center. “I was trying to find some barrel on it,” Igawa said of the ’Bows first home run of the season.

After the ’Bows cobbled three hits in Saturday’s loss, Hill moved assistant coach Dave Nakama from the coach’s box at first base to the dugout.

“He was able to really talk preparation, chalk-talk approach with guys as they came up,” Hill said of Nakama. “That was the big change. He’s 1-0.”

Cameron Hagan, who was used as a closer last year, started for the ’Bows. Hagan went three innings, allowing two hits, walking four and departing with a 4-2 lead. Buddie Pindel and Blaze Koali‘i Pontes combined to allow four hits and a run the rest of the way.

After issuing a leadoff walk in the fourth, Pindel retired the next 11 in a row. He allowed one hit and struck out five in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. In Friday’s opener, Pindel surrendered three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. “He came up after that and said, ‘you’d better get me back in,’ ” pitching coach Mathew Troupe recalled. “Everybody loves Buddie. I’m not going to argue with Buddie. He’ll kick my butt. I said, ‘heck, yeah, we’ll get you in there. He wanted it, and today, he was back to the old Buddie Pindel we know and love.”

On Friday, Pindel went with several off-speed pitches to counter the Cougars’ fastball-hunting attack. On Sunday, 38 of Pindel’s 49 pitches were fastballs. “I was pounding the zone, attacking my lanes, and let the hitters get themselves out,” Pindel said. “I was pitching to contact.”

Hill said: “That’s the true Buddie Pindel we saw all fall and all winter, just kind of hammering the zone, tough to pick up. And he’s just working ahead of the hitters. I think his first inning, he got into some three-ball counts. We had a really good talk in the dugout, and he came out fired up.”

Pontes came back on a day’s rest after pitching 1 1/3 innings on Friday. Pontes was summoned with two outs in the sixth after Pindel relinquished his lone hit. “We brought him in there to face (left-swinging Collin) Montez, who I consider their best hitter. We weren’t going to get beat even though Buddie was cruising.”

Pontes struck out Montez to end the inning. Pontes gave up an RBI groundout in the eighth, but struck out two to end that frame. He fanned two in the ninth — including a called third strike that led to WSU coach Brian Green’s ejection — and induced Montez into a game-ending groundout.

Pontes, who was recruited as a starter, has embraced his late-inning role. “I’m loving it,” he said. “I’ll do anything to help this team win.” Pontes said he was able to locate his fastball to set up his two-strike slider. Of his ninth-inning strikeouts, Pontes said: “I was going with the crowd, the noise, all my energy with my teammates.”