Ryan Verdugo and Marcelo Saldana combined on a four-hitter and Cal State Bakersfield produced all the runs it would need in the third inning for a 3-2 baseball victory over Hawaii at Les Murakami Stadium.
A crowd of 1,730 saw the Roadrunners score three runs in the third in winning for the second time in 10 Big West games. The Roadrunners are 11-16 overall. The ’Bows fell to 13-11 and 3-4. The start of the three-game series was pushed up to Thursday to accommodate Easter Sunday.
The ’Bows closed to 3-2 in the sixth, the last inning for the right-handed Verdugo. But Saldana did not allow a hit or run in the final three innings for his second save.
The Roadrunners entered with a bullpen depleted because of injuries to Jeter Scheurman, Kellen O’Connor and Nick Perryman. Catcher Angel Saldivar also was not available while recovering from a head injury.
But Verdugo, a former recruited walk-on who was a reliever last season, allowed four hits in six innings while striking out five.
“Because of our scholarship situation, he had to sit out with no scholarship last year, and then he earned it for this season,” CSUB coach Jeremy Beard said of Verdugo. “He’s been a really nice surprise with his development. Last year, he pitched a lot of relief for us. big innings for us. But his velocity averaged 85 to 89ish. And now he has more giddy-up. He’s gained 20 pounds. He’s worked hard on his game. He deserved a good win tonight.”
Saldana was able to keep the ’Bows off balance. Saldana allowed a walk in the eighth and ninth, but ended both innings with strikeouts.
“That was a nice bullpen outing by Saldana,” Beard said. “We needed somebody to step up.”
UH coach Rich Hill said: “Their lefty, Saldana, came in and just kind of walked a tightrope and a lot of three-ball counts, a lot of two-strike counts where, hey, we swung at some ball fours and took some strike threes.”
Matt Kurata, who has been catching in place of Saldivar, extended his hitting streak to 10 games, going 2-for-5 with an RBI.
In the sixth, the ’Bows scored two runs on balls that did not leave the infield. Jacob Igawa grounded a single up the middle and went to second when catcher DallasJ Duarte was beaned for his second consecutive at-bat — and 33rd time in his UH career. The ’Bows loaded the bases when Verdugo’s throw after fielding Aaron Ujimori’s bunt pulled first baseman Konnor Palmeira off the base.
Pinch hitter Jared Quandt’s grounder forced out Ujimori at second as Igawa scored the ’Bows’ first run. Duarte then scored when Palmeira mishandled Naighel Ali‘i Calderon’s RBI bunt.
After squandering opportunities in the first two innings, the Roadrunners broke through for three runs in the third.
Shortstop Cody Hendriks doubled to the corner in right, then went to third on Nick Salas’ sacrifice. After Ryan Kapser walked, Kurata singled home Hendriks for the game’s first run. Designated hitter James Bell hit a double down the left-field line to plate Kapser and Kurata and extend the Roadrunners’ lead to 3-0.
Harry Gustin, who pitched a one-hitter over seven innings in his previous home start, was not at his best early. But he did not allow a run in the next 31⁄3 innings, exiting after striking out the leadoff hitter in the seventh.
“He’s growing up,” Hill said of Gustin. “He didn’t have his best stuff tonight. … When your ace doesn’t have their best stuff, and they still keep you in the game, that’s pretty good. That’s a good sign of growth for Harry.”
