It took 12 years for the Hawaii and Wichita State baseball teams to resurrect this series.
What was a one-hour delay and an extra inning for the Rainbow Warriors?
Matt Miura raced home from third with the winning run on Elijah Ickes’ infield single to deliver Hawaii a 4-3 victory in 10 innings at Les Murakami Stadium on Thursday night.
A crowd of 1,516 saw the ’Bows improve to 5-0 and extend their home winning streak to 16 games dating to last May. The Shockers, who were regular visitors — mostly in the Rainbow Easter Tournament — for more than two decades through 2013, fell to 1-3.
The four-game series continues tonight.
The Shockers had a chance to break a 3-all tie in the top of the 10th when Jaden Gustafson ripped a two-out triple to right. But Isaiah Magdaleno struck out Lane Haworth to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, Miura drew a one-out walk off right-hander Nick Potter. Miura went to second on Shunsuke Sakaino’s groundout to second and to third on Potter’s wild pitch. Ickes, who was 2-for-8 with two outs and a runner on third, hit a grounder to deep short that Camden Johnson could not field cleanly. It was the ’Bows’ third walk-off single in five games.
The ’Bows had effective pitching from Sebastian Gonzalez and Freddy Rodriguez through seven innings.
Gonzalez struggled in the season opener last Friday. Head coach Rich Hill opted to keep the rotation in place, giving Gonzalez the series-opening start on a day-shortened rest. Gonzalez breezed through the first three innings, but departed with a 1-0 deficit after four innings.
Rodriguez, a Cal Poly transfer who was limited to two appearances last year because of an injury, pitched three scoreless innings.
But the Shockers scored two runs without a base hit to tie it at 3-all in the top of the eighth.
The Shockers loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman against UH reliever Zac Tenn. Liam O’Brien replaced Tenn, and induced a double play that scored Jordan Black from third to close the Shockers to 3-2. Johnson raced home with the tying run on O’Brien’s wild pitch.
The game started at 7:39 p.m., an hour later than scheduled, because some of the Shockers’ equipment and uniforms were delayed in arriving on a flight from Dallas. The Shockers scrambled, borrowing some equipment from the ’Bows.
But the Shockers were able to adjust. The Shockers had planned a staff approach, in which several pitchers would only be used an inning or two. But those pitching plans were altered because of right-hander Jeremiah Arnett’s effectiveness.
Arnett went the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs — only one earned — and spaced five hits. It was an improvement from his previous outing, when he surrendered two earned runs in two innings against McNeese State.
WSU senior Josh Livingston, an injury replacement at second base, used a borrowed bat to pull a solo homer just inside the right-field pole to give the Shockers a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.
The ’Bows scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Ben Zeigler-Namoa drove a 1-2 pitch from Arnett over the fence in center field to tie it at 1-all. The ’Bows’ first home run of the season came on their 149th at-bat of the season. It was Zeigler-Namoa’s fourth career homer.
UH designated hitter Itsuki Takemoto, who is the ’Bows’ scheduled starting pitcher Friday night, grounded a single up the middle. Arnett’s attempted pick-off throw sailed past first baseman Ryan Callahan and Takemoto scooted all the way to third base. Jared Quand’t squeeze bunt enabled Takemoto to sprint home with the ’Bows’ second run.
The ’Bows added a run to extend their lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning. Draven Nushida drew a one-out walk, stole second and, one out later, came home on Konnor Palmeira’s single to center.