The toughest part for Jake Tsukada about moving back home after four years in Portland was leaving his younger brother.
He did it to experience moments like the one he had in a rare Monday day baseball game at Les Murakami Stadium.
Tsukada delivered the go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to help Hawaii close out a series win over Rice with a 7-5 victory in front of a crowd of 722.
Tsukada barreled the first pitch from reliever Davion Hickson, who had allowed one run in 12 2⁄3 innings coming in, deep over the wall in right field to turn a one-run deficit into a 6-4 lead. Danny Veloz and Zacary Tenn closed out the win on the mound for the Rainbows (10-6), who have won seven of nine entering Big West Conference play this week at Cal State Bakersfield.
“I was just trying to play my role and help my team in any way I can,” Tsukada said. “I was trying to be aggressive, get it done early in the count, get something into the outfield to score the run and it just so happened it snuck out.”
The 2019 Punahou graduate, who won a state championship his senior year, played in 158 games over four seasons with the Pilots. His younger brother, Justin, is a sophomore infielder at Portland, but Jake decided to join UH in the offseason as a graduate transfer.
The home run on Monday was the second in his collegiate career. The other came in his very first game at Portland as a true freshman in the season opener, a month before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
“That’s what happens when he’s trying to execute and really drive a ball in the air just to get a sac fly,” Hawaii coach Rich Hill said. “He really put a good swing on it and it went over the fence.”
Ben Zeigler-Namoa added two doubles, including a bases-clearing hit in the bottom of the first inning that put UH ahead 3-0.
Hawaii led most of the game but fell behind 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning on Trenton Rank’s two-run double to left-center off of UH reliever Tyler Dyball.
Dyball limited the damage with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Matthew Miura and Zeigler-Namoa drew walks to start the bottom of the frame and Stone Miyao bunted them over to set the stage for Tsukada’s blast.
Veloz allowed a solo homer to Jack Riedel in the top of the seventh and issued a leadoff walk in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate.
Tenn came on in relief and got a double play on his first pitch before a fly ball to left ended it.
“What stands out is how we worked out of jams as a pitching staff,” Hill said. “There were runners on, we were pitching from the stretch, and our pitchers found a way to be good in the stretch and make pitches of consequence and get out of these things.”
Tenn pitched three times in the series and earned his first save. He has not given up a run in 82⁄3 innings to start his college career.
Hawaii used six pitchers total, with Dyball (1-0) getting the win. Freshman Itsuki Takemoto got the start and retired all six batters he faced with one strikeout.
Harrison Bodendorf, who has been UH’s Friday night starter all season, pitched 2 2⁄3 innings in relief of Takemoto and allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
“Harrison is really improving. His velocity had a little bit of an uptick today and changeup really played up,” Hill said. “We pulled him early on Friday with the idea that he would be ready to throw between 40 and 60 pitches today.”
Hawaii tacked on a run in the bottom of the seventh on a bunt single by Miyao to score Austin Machado.
Jordan Donahue, who was hitting in the No. 9 spot, batted leadoff for the first time this season and went 3-for-4 with a run scored to raise his average to .426.
“No matter where you are hitting in the order, you still have a job to do,” Donahue said. “I’m seeing it pretty well right now, so just trying to stay relaxed and a positive mindset and keep going from there.”
The Owls dropped to 5-11 this season and had won seven in a row against Hawaii before losing the final three games of the series.
Miura drew three walks and scored twice but finished 0-for-2 to snap a nine-game hitting streak.
Up next for the ‘Bows is their BWC opener at Cal State Bakersfield on Friday. The Roadrunners have the league’s worst record at 3-13.
HAWAII 7, RICE 5
OWLS AB R H BI BB SO
McDonald cf 5 0 1 2 0 0
Riedel ss 5 1 1 1 0 3
Garza c 3 1 0 0 1 0
Becker dh 4 1 1 0 0 1
Gallo 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0
Rank 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0
Duffield rf 4 0 0 0 0 4
Devenny lf 2 1 0 0 1 0
Motley 3b 3 1 2 0 1 1
TOTALS 33 5 7 5 3 9
RAINBOW WARRIORS AB R H BI BB SO
Donahue, J. ss 4 1 3 0 0 1
Ickes 3b 4 1 1 0 0 1
Machado dh 4 1 2 0 0 1
Miura cf 2 2 0 0 3 2
Zeigler-Namoa 1b 2 1 2 3 2 0
Miyao 2b 3 0 1 1 0 1
Tsukada lf 3 1 1 3 1 0
Calderon lf 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rimmer rf 3 0 0 0 0 1
Quandt rf 1 0 0 0 0 1
Duarte c 3 0 0 0 1 0
TOTALS 29 7 10 7 7 8
Rice (5-11) 000 022 100 — 5 7 1
Hawaii (10-6) 300 003 10x — 7 10 1
E–Rank; Donahue, J. DP–Hawaii 1. LOB–
Rice 6, Hawaii 9. 2b–McDonald, Rank,
Motley; Machado, Zeigler. HR–Riedel; Tsukada. HBP–Devenny; Donahue, J.
SH–Gallo; Ickes, Machado, Miyao. CS–
Machado, Miura.
RICE IP H R ER BB SO
Fernandez 21
3 4 3 3 2 1
Vincent 22
3 1 0 0 0 2
Stratton (L, 0-1) 0 0 2 2 2 0
Hickson 3 5 2 2 3 5
HAWAII IP H R ER BB SO
Takemoto 2 0 0 0 0 1
Bodendorf 22
3 3 2 2 0 3
Gonzalez 1
3 1 2 2 1 1
Dyball (W, 1-0) 1 1 0 0 1 2
Veloz 2 2 1 1 1 2
Tenn 1 0 0 0 0 0
WP–Vincent, Hickson. HBP–by Fernandez
(Donahue, J.); by Bodendorf (Devenny).
Umpires—(Plate): Michael Carr. (First): Andrew Burke. (Third): Matt McMahon.
T—2:47. A–2,434.
