Hawaii handles Albany

Kalei Hanawahine insisted it’s only a coincidence.

With Marcus Doi out with a groin injury, Hanawahine again seized the moment hitting leadoff for Hawaii, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored as Hawaii handled Albany 12-6 on Sunday to treat a Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,440 to its first four-game sweep since 2011.

Hanawahine, who hit .333 in the Big West last season, was batting .136 (3-for-22) in his first six games. Doi’s injury forced the senior outfielder into the leadoff spot for the past two. He reached base seven times and scored six of Hawaii’s 21 runs, which is the most the Rainbows (4-4) have scored in consecutive games in nearly two years.

"It doesn’t really matter (where I hit) to me. We’ve got some great hitters in the middle of the order that if I just get on, things will happen," Hanawahine said.

Doi, who has hit safely in each of his first six games, pulled a groin in Friday’s win and will see a doctor in the two days UH has off before Wednesday’s start of a four-game home series against Pepperdine (6-1).

Hanawahine was more than capable of filling in at the top of the order in his absence and gives Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso something to consider when Doi gets back.

"That’s something we’ll definitely have to look at, but I also love the idea of Marcus leading off — the guy was hitting .400 when he pulled a groin," Trapasso said. "A lot of it depends on how he feels. If he comes back and can’t run at full speed, we may have to look at keeping Kalei there."

With Kaeo Aliviado — who is hitting .343 after three more hits and three runs scored Sunday — batting second, the top two have set the table repeatedly for the middle of the order.

Second baseman Juliene Jones, hitting out of the fifth spot with Hanawahine hitting leadoff, had two hits and four RBIs, and Adam Hurley, who started in Doi’s spot in left, singled three times and drove in a run.

Hurley was 5-for-7 with two runs and two RBIs in two starts.

"Obviously, losing Doi a couple of games is huge because he’s been hitting the ball up, but ‘next guy up’ is our mentality and I’ve been ready," Hurley said.

Junior Jordan DePonte (1-1) picked up the win in relief of starter Scott Kuzminsky, who was perfect his first time through the order.

Hawaii led 8-5 with one out in the eighth and a runner on first when junior Andrew Jones came in to replace DePonte.

Jones, who pitched in one game for UH last year before missing the rest of the season with an elbow injury, needed just four pitches to get DJ Hoagboon to ground into an inning-ending double play. He struck out two in the ninth to earn the save, as UH had four different pitchers earn saves in the series.

"Waiting for 11 months to get back and throwing intrasquads all fall was nothing compared to coming out here, so it was an experience impossible to describe," Jones said. "I let it go a couple of times and was happy with that. Still have to work on my curveball and the changeup a little bit, but I feel like I’m pretty close."

Trapasso said Jones touched 89 mph on the radar gun. His return gives UH a needed boost in a bullpen that improved significantly from opening weekend.

UH’s relievers allowed just two hits in 102⁄3 innings against Albany with no earned runs.

"That just helps us leaps and bounds as far as just being able to go with matchups because we haven’t had a lefty," Trapasso said. "We’ll get (Quintin Torres-Costa) back in a few weeks and then I’ll really like our bullpen."

Albany (0-4) suffered its first four-game sweep since losing to Santa Clara to open the 2011 season.

The Great Danes got their first look at freshman right-hander Stephen Woods, a sixth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays last summer.

Woods gave up four hits and four walks in four innings with two strikeouts.

"I’d heard a lot about him and he didn’t disappoint. He was 93-94 on our gun consistently with a 79-miles-an-hour curveball," Trapasso said. "He was just erratic enough for a freshman’s first start and we were able to get his pitch count up."

HAWAII 12, ALBANY 6

E—Hinchy 2; Dugdale; Flores; Jones; Brewster. DP—Albany 3, Hawaii 3. LOB—Albany 5, Hawaii 8. HBP—Kingston; Lepre. SH—Kingston; Wobrock. SF—Harasta; Jones. SB—Kingston; Bullard; Hanawahine; Aliviado; Richartz; Hurley.