In an ensemble performance of power hitting, effective pitching and opportunistic fielding, the Hawaii baseball team produced Saturday’s 9-3 victory over Cal State Northridge at Hiegert Field on the CSU campus.
A crowd of 276 saw the Rainbow Warriors avenge Friday’s 15-10 loss in which UH head coach Rich Hill was ejected in the first inning.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Hill said, he showed the ’Bows a video clip from the movie “Hoosiers” when Gene Hackman’s character “got kicked out of the game on purpose just to hand it over to (Dennis Hopper’s character) Shooter so Shooter could take ’em home. It was petty cool. They banded together, got it done.”
Hill, who was suspended for this weekend’s games, praised pitching coach Keith Zuniga and hitting coach Dave Nakama for their strategic leadership this weekend.
“So proud of Keith and Dave running that ship,” Hill said. “I thought they were brilliant all game long. And I thought our players really responded.”
Left fielder Kamana Nahaku hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the seventh inning, and center fielder Matthew Miura continued his blue-hot streak with a two-run homer in the ninth. In the past five games, Miura is hitting .705. He has 12 hits and eight walks in 25 plate appearances.
Liam O’Brien, Sebastian Gonzalez and Isaiah Magdaleno combined on a seven-hitter. Magdaleno earned a seven-out save, his fourth of the season. Magdaleno has not allowed an earned run in 14 2/3 consecutive innings.
“He’s one of the best in the country in all those metrics and all those statistics,” Hill said of Magdaleno. “He’s up at the top. I can’t imagine a better reliever anywhere right now. He’s been lights out. He’s a huge reason why we are where we are.”
“Great win, everybody involved,” said Hill, noting the Rainbow Warriors also turned three key double plays. “Gritty all day.”
On one of the double plays, second baseman Shunsuke Sakaino made an off-balance grab of a hard grounder, pirouetted and fired to shortstop Jordan Donahue, who relayed to first.
On another, Miura made a catch in left-center and threw out a runner at the plate.
The Matadors scored two runs on a throwing error and a wild pitch to take a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning.
“Didn’t flinch when they went up,” Hill said.
The Rainbow Warriors tied it at 3 in the sixth on Jared Quandt’s sacrifice fly and pinch hitter Aidan Kuni’s run-scoring double.
In the seventh, Sakaino led off with a walk against reliever Kody King and went to second on Donahue’s sacrifice. Noah Rinehart, who replaced King, walked Miura and then induced Ben Zeigler-Namoa to hit a grounder to the right side. But second baseman Kyle Panganiban bobbled the ball and then threw too late to get Zeigler-Namoa at first as the ’Bows loaded the bases. One out later, Nahaku emptied the bases, driving Rinehart’s first pitch over the left-center wall for 7-3 lead.
“I can’t say enough about Kamana Nahaku this season,” Hill said. “He’s been great.”
In the ninth, Miura’s two-run homer ended the suspense.
“Great relief by Sebastian and Isaiah,” Hill said. “Great double play turned by Shun. Unreal performances.”
The ’Bows improved to 19-6 and 7-4 in the Big West. The Matadors are 6-16 and 3-8. The first pitch is at 10:05 a.m. for today’s finale of the three-game series.
