The Hawaii baseball team rocked and then rolled to a milestone 11-2 victory over UC Riverside at Les Murakami Stadium.
A Thursday night crowd of 1,084 saw the Rainbow Warriors earn their ninth consecutive victory, the nation’s longest active winning streak.
The ’Bows also won their 30th game for the first time since the 2012 season. The ’Bows, who are 30-15 and 13-9 in the Big West, are in fifth place — 21⁄2 games behind second-place UC Irvine and 41⁄2 behind leader UC Santa Barbara.
“It’s a great milestone,” Hill said of the 30th victory. “Joining the Big West (in 2013) … kind of signified a much tougher road. Obviously it’s the best baseball conference in the West. It’s the best mid-major conference in any sport. And to be able to do what we’ve done the past three years is a true testament to the grit of these players and our staff.”
Connor Harrison. Alex Giroux, Harrison Bodendorf and Tai Atkins combine to space eight hits. Jake Tsukada went 3-for-3 and drove in two, including one on a squeeze in the ’Bows’ seven- run eighth to break open what had been a two-run game.
The ’Bows continued their masterful pitching. Last week against Cal State Northridge, UH pitchers allowed three runs — two earned — in the three-game sweep. In that series, Harrison and Giroux had memorable performances. Harrison set a school record with the 69th relief appearance of his college career. Giroux threw five perfect innings of relief, and eventually was named the Big West’s Pitcher of the Week.
After Wednesday’s practice, UH coach Rich Hill notified Harrison he would make his fourth career start. Hill said left-handed pitcher Sebastian Gonzalez was scratched as the ’Bows starter because of tenderness in his pitching arm. Hill said Gonzalez will not pitch in the ’Bows’ final eight regular-season games.
“He was a natural fit,” Hill said of starting Harrison. “I thought we were in a really good groove with Randy (Abshier starting) on Saturday and (Bodendorf) on game three. And our bullpen was settling into a really good routine. Just to bump Harrison into that (Thursday) spot just to give us a little bit of length. He can go between three and five innings, twice through the order, just to get to Giroux, to get to (Brayden) Marx, is a pretty good recipe for success.”
On Thursday, Harrison yielded two runs in four innings and Giroux held the Highlanders scoreless for 32⁄3 innings. Bodendorf had an inning-ending strikeout in the eighth. Atkins did not allow a run in the ninth.
Harrison breezed through the first three innings. In the second inning, he threw strikes on all nine pitches. But Harrison yielded Jayden Lopez’s two-run homer, a drive over the fence in right-center, as the Highlanders closed to 4-2 in the fourth inning.
“I’m happy with whatever role they want me in,” said Harrison, who relied largely on a slider.
Giroux entered at the start of the fifth. The Highlanders loaded the bases with one out when Zach Tallerman singled, Nick Poss doubled to right and Anthony Mata reached on an error. But Giroux induced Zachary Chamizo to pop up to third and Cole Koniarsky to ground out to short to end the threat.
The ’Bows moved out of reach with a knockout eighth inning. In addition to Tsukada’s RBI bunt — the play at the plate was was unsuccessfully challenged by UCR coach Justin Johnson — the ’Bows also scored on two bases-loaded walks, a sacrifice fly and a balk.
The ’Bows never trailed after scoring a first-inning run. Tsukada reached on an infield hit to short and continued to second on the ensuing throwing error. Austin Machado ripped a singled up the middle that was out of the reach of second Tyler Weaver as Tsukada raced home with the game’s first run.
The ’Bows scored three runs in the second to expand their lead to 4-0. Matthew Miura reached on an error and went to third on Ben Zeigler-Namoa’s single to right. Sean Rimmer walked to load the bases. Jordan Donahue then blooped a double to right to score Miura and Zeigler- Namoa. Rimmer, who went to third on Donahue’s double, came home on Tsukada’s sacrifice fly to center.
BIG WEST BASEBALL
Conference Overall
W L Pct. GB W L
UCSB 17 4 .810 — 32 12
UC Irvine 15 6 .714 2 35 10
Cal Poly 17 7 .708 11
2 28 18
CS Northridge 14 7 .667 3 28 17
Hawaii 13 9 .591 41
2 30 15
UCSD 13 11 .542 51
2 26 20
!-LBSU 8 13 .381 9 22 22
UC Davis 7 14 .333 10 22 24
CS Bakersfield 7 17 .292 111
2 13 33
CS Fullerton 5 16 .238 12 14 31
UC Riverside 5 17 .227 121
2 15 29
!-does not include one tie
Thursday
Hawaii 11, UC Riverside 2
Today
UC Riverside at Hawaii, 6:35 p.m.
UC San Diego at Cal State Northridge
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton
x-Utah Tech at Cal Poly
Saturday
UC San Diego at Cal State Northridge
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton
x-Utah Tech at Cal Poly (doubleheader)
Sunday
UC Riverside at Hawaii, 1:05 p.m.
UC San Diego at Cal State Northridge
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton
x-Utah Tech at Cal Poly
x-non-league game
HAWAII 11, UC RIVERSIDE 2
HIGHLANDERS AB R H BI BB SO
Mata ss 4 0 0 0 0 2
Chamizo 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0
Koniarksy rf 4 0 0 0 0 1
Rocha lf 4 0 1 0 0 1
Lopez cf 4 1 1 2 0 1
Grace dh 2 0 0 0 0 2
Martinez ph/dh 2 0 2 0 0 0
Weaver 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2
Tallerman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1
Poss c 3 0 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 35 2 8 2 0 11
RAINBOW WARRIORS AB R H BI BB SO
J. Donahue ss 4 1 1 2 0 0
Tsukada 2b 3 2 3 2 0 0
Machado dh 4 0 1 1 1 0
K. Donahue 1b 4 0 0 1 1 0
Duarte c 4 1 1 1 0 0
Miura cf 4 2 0 0 1 0
Zeigler lf 4 1 2 1 0 1
Nahaku pr 0 1 0 0 0 0
Rimmer rf 1 1 0 0 1 0
Quandt rf 1 0 1 0 0 0
Calderon ph 1 1 1 1 0 0
Ickes 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0
TOTALS 34 11 12 10 4 1
UCR (15-29, 5-17) 000 200 000 — 2 8 2
Hawaii (30-15, 13-9) 130 000 07x — 11 12 1
DP–Chamizo, Weaver; Ickes. DP—UCR 1,
Hawaii 1. LOB–UCR 6, Hawaii 7. 2B–
Poss; J. Donahue, Calderon. 3B—Ickes.
HR—Lopez. SH—Tsukada. SF—Tsukada,
Duarte. HBP—J. Donahue.
UC RIVERSIDE IP H R ER BB SO
Marrujo (L, 1-2) 5 6 4 2 1 0
Marton 21
3 4 3 3 1 1
Appleford 0 2 4 4 2 0
Rivas 2
3 0 0 0 0 0
HAWAII IP H R ER BB SO
Harrison 4 3 2 2 0 6
Giroux (W, 6-2) 32
3 4 0 0 0 4
Bodendorf 1
3 0 0 0 0 1
Atkins 1 1 0 0 0 0
HBP–by Appleford (J. Donahue). BK—Appleford. Umpires—(Plate): Michael Chukerman. (First): Lee Meyers. (Second): Dax
Upton. (Third): Rob McKinley. T—3:16.
A–2,625.
