NORTHRIDGE, Calif. » An eight-game losing streak and an 0-12 mark at Matador Field all-time might cause a team to try something different. The Hawaii baseball team’s approach: Call a team meeting two hours before Saturday’s series finale with Cal State Northridge.

"I told our guys, straight up, our spirit’s been broken over the last couple of weekends," Rainbow Warriors coach Mike Trapasso said. "We’ve got to be less fragile."

Hawaii pounded five Northridge pitchers for 11 hits, and Scott Squier threw seven solid innings as the ‘Bows ended both streaks with a convincing 9-1 victory.

At the halfway point in the Big West Conference season, the Rainbows (15-21, 3-9) find themselves in last place in the conference, unchanged since arriving here for the series with the Matadors (15-24, 4-8). But at least they know their bats have returned.

Hawaii collected four more hits than it got in the series’ first two games. Stephen Ventimilia, Kaeo Aliviado and Austin Wobrock collected two hits apiece, Ventimilia scored three runs, Aliviado scored twice and drove in two; and Marc Flores drove in three, by getting hit with the bases loaded and stroking a two-run single.

Something obviously clicked.

"I’m not a big guy on meetings, but we had a fairly lengthy one today," Trapasso said. "This is a group that plays better when they’re relaxed."

Scoring two runs in the first inning can go a long way toward creating such an environment. Against Northirdge starter John Salas (4-3), Ventimilia walked and scored on Aliviado’s double, Aliviado taking third when second baseman Ryan Raslowsky’s throw home got by catcher Dylan Alexander. Jordan Richartz’s sacrifice fly scored Aliviado.

Hawaii scored two more in the fourth. Richartz doubled to left, took third on a groundout and scored on Matt Miller’s sacrifice fly. Then Hurley singled, Trevor Podratz doubled and Salas balked in Hurley for a 4-0 lead. Third-base umpire Ryan Bleiberg called the balk, causing Northridge coach Greg Moore to question him and get tossed when he persisted after Bleiberg was done.

Salas gave up four runs (three earned) and five hits in six innings with two walks, four strikeouts and that balk.

Squier (3-3) dominated so much, he didn’t need the team meeting. Good thing, because he missed it.

"I was sitting on the side listening to music while they were talking about it," he said. "I can’t tell you what happened."

In just 93 pitches, Squier gave up one run and seven hits with six strikeouts, two walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Juliene Jones finished, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

All of Squier’s strikeouts came in the first four innings, and Trapasso knew why.

"(Northridge hitters) started taking the slider," the coach said. "He was getting a lot of strikeouts on the slider, but he wasn’t throwing it for a strike. He was throwing it in the dirt and they kept swinging at it. They took that away about the fifth inning, so he had to throw the curveball. That he was able to throw for strikes."

Now, it’s on to USC on Tuesday before resuming the conference schedule at Cal State Fullerton, Friday through Sunday.

"We have a lot to play for still," Trapasso said. "If we play like we did today and have a short memory for the last couple of weeks, then we can have some fun the next five weeks. We’ve got five weeks to play, and five weeks (is) a long time, a lot of games, and there’s still a lot to play for."

BIG WEST STANDINGS

Saturday
Hawaii 9, CS Northridge 1
Cal Poly 3, CS Fullerton 0
UC Riverside 4, UC Davis 2
UC Santa Barbara 2, Long Beach State 1
*San Diego State 4, UC Irvine 3
*nonconference

Monday
*Long Beach State at San Diego
*nonconference

Tuesday
*Hawaii at Southern California, 3 p.m.
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
*Saint Mary’s at UC Davis
*Cal State Northridge at San Diego State
*San Jose State at Cal Poly
*UC Riverside at San Diego
*nonconference

HAWAII 9, CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 1

E—Raslowsky 2. DP—Hawaii 2. LOB—Hawaii 10; CSUN 7. 2B—Aliviado; Richartz; Podratz; Brewster; Murphy. HBP—Flores; Balkan. SH—Aliviado; Osuna. SF—Richartz; Miller. CS—Raslowsky.

WP—Squier; Warner. HBP—by Squier (Balkan); by Cortez (Flores). BK—Salas. Umpires—(Plate): Allen Williams. (First): Gary Gilman. (Third): Ryan Bleiberg. T—2:37. A—574.