This time, there would be no “Manoa Magic” for the Hawaii baseball team.
This time, it would be the opposing relief pitchers providing the mist in Manoa.
Albert Roblez and Ka‘imi Kahalekai held UH to one hit over the final six innings to preserve Long Beach State’s 3-2 victory over Hawaii at Les Murakami Stadium.
Before 3,333 — all 4,585 tickets were issued for UH’s sixth sellout of the season — the Dirtbags ended the ’Bows’ eight-game home winning streak. It also was the first time in the past seven games the ’Bows did not score at least nine runs.
Roblez was able to mystify the Rainbow Warriors with a low-90-mph fastball and several variations of breaking pitches.
After Jake Fields exited after allowing two runs in three innings, Roblez was summoned in the bottom of the fourth. Roblez retired the first 12 ’Bows he faced, striking out eight of 10 during one stretch. Roblez, a transfer from UNLV, played his first two seasons at Riverside Community College.
“I wasn’t keeping track,” Roblez said of his strikeout streak. “I was going one pitch at a time. That’s our mantra the last couple weeks. I was trying to get ahead. I felt really good, the slider was good.”
With LBSU ahead 3-2 in the eighth inning, Roblez walked pinch hitter Itsuki Takemoto. Freshman Jarret “JJ” Nielsen, the No. 2 quarterback on the Warriors’ football team, pinch-ran for Takemoto. After Shunsuke Sakaino flied out to left, Nielsen went to second on Jordan Donahue’s groundout to short. Then Matthew Miura hit a grounder that shortstop Armando Briseno fielded at the back edge of the infield. Briseno threw out Miura at first. After a UH challenge, the umpires affirmed the third out — ending the inning and nullifying Nielsen’s sprint to the plate.
In the ninth, Roblez gave up a one-out single to Kamana Nahaku and then walked Jared Quandt.
LBSU head coach TJ Bruce beckoned Kahalekai, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound freshman from Kamehameha-Maui. After throwing three straight pitches outside the zone, Kahalekai came back to strike out Draven Nushida.
“At 3-0, I wasn’t really scared because I knew my stuff was just as good enough to compete with them,” said Kahalekai, whose eight pitches were all fastballs.”I was thinking, throw the ball down the middle and let them do it and let myself work.”
Kahalekai then coaxed pinch hitter Aidan Kuni to ground out to second to end the game.
“I played here as a kid, and to come back and play at the collegiate level is something different,” Kahalekai said. “I didn’t think I’d be doing it. It’s a surreal feeling.”
Bruce said: “I thought Roblez was the key to bridging the gap to the bullpen. He kept us in the game. And then Ka‘imi in the end, coming into probably, at this point in his career, in one of the more stressful situations he’s been a part of because of all the emotions of coming back home.”
UH coach Rich Hill said: “We didn’t really have an answer. We tried to box adjust. We tried to do everything. And then (Roblez) started to mix the second time around (the lineup). Tip your cap. They did a great job.”
The ’Bows took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Quandt pulled a 330-foot drive over the fence in right field. It was Quandt’s second home run of the season and first since suffering a soreness to his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
In the third, the Dirtbags loaded the bases without a hit. Efren Ortega was has hit by a Liam O’Brien pitch, Kyle Ashworth and Alex Champagne drew back-to-back walks. Briseno hit a fielder’s choice grounder to short, Champagne was out at second while Ortega scored the tying run. Connor Charpiot was hit by O’Brien’s 49th — and final pitch — to reload the bases.
Zac Tenn, who replaced O’Brien, issued a bases-loaded walk to give the Dirtbags a 2-1 lead. Reid Montgomery’s sacrifice fly made it 3-1.
The ’Bows closed to 3-2 in the third inning. With two outs, Miura hit an opposite-field single to right. He went home on Ben Zeigler-Namoa’s long single that ended up at the right-field fence.
The ’Bows fell to 22-7 overall and 9-5 in the Big West. The Dirtbags are 11-17 and 5-9.
The teams meet today at 1:05 p.m. in the finale of the three-game series.
