The Hawaii baseball team lost a coach, game and series in falling to UC Irvine 6-1 Sunday at Anteater Park in Orange County, Calif.

The Anteaters won the final two of this three-game series to improve to 30-14 overall and 12-9. The ’Bows fell to 22-18 and 11-10, and finished 3-5 on this 14-day road trip.

In his best performance of the season, UCI left-hander Nick Pinto allowed three hits in the first 72⁄3 innings to improve to 5-2. Pinto retired the first 17 ’Bows before yielding a two-out hit to Nainoa Cardinez in the sixth. Pinto struck out 11 and walked none.

“He was good,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “He’s been good throughout his career. Pinto’s just not had a good year this year. Today, he certainly stepped it up a notch and looked like his old self.”

Last year, Pinto made 15 starts to open the season. He was removed from that ace’s role after struggling, and reassigned to reliever and once-through-the-lineup starter. Against Big West hitters, he entered Sunday with a 10.09 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and opponents batting .307. But Pinto mesmerized the ’Bows with a curveball that consistently buzzed the corners.

“He was mixing speeds, throwing three pitches for strikes,” Hill said. “He was really good.”

Jacob King pitched the final 11⁄3 innings for his seventh save.

The ’Bows’ best opportunity was in the eighth when Stone Miyao’s one-out single brought home Kyson Donahue and advanced Zach Storbakken to third. Cardinez then grounded out to third as Miyao went to second and Storbakken stayed put at third base. After the play, Hill, who was coaching from the third-base box, appeared to be talking to Storbakken. In a likely case of mistaken intent, umpire Ryan Bleiberg ejected Hill when he raised his hands in an apparent attempt to call an offensive timeout.

“I was stunned, to say the least,” said Hill, who is in his 36th season as head coach, the last two with UH.

Hill, who had to exit past the UCI dugout, accepted responsibility. “I wore it,” he said. “That was the jog of shame in front of the Irvine fans.”

Pinto, who had thrown 95 pitches, was pulled to loud applause. King struck out pinch hitter Matthew Miura to end the UH threat.

The UH coaches debated which pitcher who threw on Friday would start on Sunday. Harrison Bodendorf threw 50 pitches in the series opener; Alex Giroux logged 13 pitches. Tyler Dyball and Connor Harrison were not used in the first two games.

“Bode’s on a day’s rest after 50 pitches, how long can he really go?” Hill said of Bodendorf. “As opposed to Alex, who threw 13 pitches with a day off. We felt Alex could go maybe a couple times through the order, and we can get to Bodendorf, Dyball and Connor Harrison. It didn’t work out that way.”

Giroux did not allow a hit in his first two innings. But he exited in the third when the Anteaters sandwiched doubles around a sacrifice. Bodendord got the final two outs the hard way, allowing three hits, a walk, and a hit batsman as the Anteaters took a 5-0 lead.

Hill was impressed with Harrison, the third UH pitcher, who allowed two hits and a run in five innings. “That was great,” Hill said. “The highlight of the day was seeing him really extend. That was awesome to see.”

The ’Bows play host to UC Davis in Thursday’s opener of a three-game series at Les Murakami Stadium. Because of UH’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, the series will continue with games on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.