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There was a dust-storm warning for Las Vegas today.
But when the dust settled, the University of Hawaii baseball team defeated UNLV 18-13 at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nev.
The ’Bows are 9-2 and averaging 9.5 runs on Sundays. They are 13-18 and averaging 4.4 runs on the other days.
By taking two of three this weekend, the Rainbow Warriors won their fifth consecutive series to improve to 22-20. Their final nine games of 2022 will be against Big West opponents. The ’Bows are in second place in the Big West. The Rebels, who lead the Mountain West, fell to 32-18.
The Rebels scored four runs in the sixth to lead 9-5. But the ’Bows answered with four in the seventh to tie it at 9.
After the Rebels went ahead 10-9 in the bottom of the seventh, the ’Bows regained control with a five-run eighth inning. UH first baseman Jacob Igawa’s sixth home run of the season tied it at 10 to open the eighth. Then Matt Wong followed with a bases-empty homer to give the ’Bows an 11-10 lead they would not relinquish.
Catcher Nainoa Cardinez, who entered with two hits, went 3-for-6, including his first NCAA home run.
Tyler Dyball, the sixth of nine UH pitchers, earned his first victory.
The Rebels used eight pitchers — with a ninth-inning change required after reliever Nick Rupp was ejected for arguing a hit-batsman call.