On any driven Sunday, the University of Hawaii baseball team appears to be at its best.
Before 1,947 at Les Murakami Stadium, the Rainbow Warriors powered past Cal State Northridge, 10-1, to win their sixth three-game series in a row. The ’Bows are 10-2 and average 8.5 runs on Sundays.
“Double-digit Sunday,” said head coach Rich Hill, whose ’Bows have scored 62 runs the past four Sundays. “Great job, great team effort by these guys.”
CSUN ran away to a 14-2 victory in Thursday’s series opener. “We’ve been at this before,” third baseman Kyson Donahue said. “We know how to bounce back the next day, and we know Sunday’s our day.”
The ’Bows evened the series with Friday’s 3-0 redemption. There was a bye on Saturday to accommodate UH’s graduation ceremony. On Sunday, the ’Bows amassed 13 hits while using a specific strategy in which four UH pitchers held the Matadors to four hits.
“The special part about this team is we don’t get down,” right fielder Matt Wong said of Thursday’s setback. “Anything can happen. We move on. We see each other the next morning, and it’s a new day.”
Wong had an RBI in the ’Bows’ three-run first inning, two-run third, and three-run fifth. “It’s about the little things,” Wong said. “When a guy’s on second with less than two outs, you’ve got to drive him in. I tried to focus on that today, on being a team guy, and driving in runs.”
Donahue emerged from a mini slump a couple weeks ago to go 3-for-3, score four runs and drive in another. “Just working on stuff with (hitting) Coach (Dave) Nakama,” Donahue said. “Just sticking to the grind and staying positive. I saw the ball really well today, and it paid off.”
Designated hitter Bronson Rivera drove in three runs, with two coming on a two-out single in the sixth. Second baseman Stone Miyao, who did not play in the series’ first two games after suffering an injury to his left ankle on Tuesday, went 3-for-5 and scored two runs.
“Wade (Yamasaki), our trainer, helped me out a lot,” Miyao said of his return to health — and the lineup. “And I know my teammates backed me up. I was feeling comfortable. It was good to be out there with my teammates. And I love Sundays. We’re Sunday strong, Sunday Warriors.”
With Saturday’s day off, the ’Bows had refreshed arms for the series finale. The game plan called for each pitcher to go one time through the Matadors’ lineup. Starting pitcher Andy Archer allowed one hit to 10 batters. Dalton Renne, who pitched 21⁄3 scoreless innings, faced eight hitters. Tai Atkins pitched to 10 batters; Cameron Hagan, who got the final seven outs, faced 11.
“That one time through, the next guy up, that’s kind of been the motto of our pitching staff all year,” UH pitching coach Mathew Troupe said. “Come in, get the job done, and the next guy will pick you up. We were looking at this (strategy) prior to the game: go one time through, see how it looks.”
Archer said an adjustment in technique improved his fastball’s velocity. He is using a new motion in which his hands go over his head before each pitch. The motion balances his delivery. “I’m getting more out of my legs,” Archer said.
Archer welcomed the staffing approach. “You go in there and try to empty the gas tank, knowing we’ve got a lot of good guys in the ‘pen,” Archer said. “Renne was fresh. Hagan was ready. It was do my job for as long as we can knowing we had studs waiting to come in.”
Atkins, a left-hander, also used a new technique to expand from a one-batter speciality. When a runner was on first, Atkins used to hurry pitches. With an improved pick-off move that freezes runners, Atkins can use a higher kick on pitches.
“Tai’s easy to work with,” Troupe said. “He’ll be the first one to come into my office and say, ‘Trouper, let’s watch some video. Let’s get on the same page.’”
The ’Bows improved to 24-21 overall and 15-9 in the Big West. They clinched a non-losing Big West season.