The understudy was overwhelming in Hawaii’s 6-1 baseball victory over Illinois State on Thursday night.

Cade Smith, a freshman right-hander making his first start after four relief appearances, pitched a three-hitter over 61⁄3 innings in the opener of a four-game series at Les Murakami Stadium.

“I felt awesome,” Smith said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Smith started in place of Jackson Rees, who was held out to help heal a blister-causing broken nail on the index finger of his right (pitching) hand.

Smith faced an ISU team that entered averaging 9.6 runs per game and ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Division I RPI. But Smith controlled the Redbirds with a 90-mph fastball, curve and occasional change-up.

“I don’t think you can ask for anything more than that in any situation, particularly against an offensive club like that,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said of Smith. “I”m so impressed with him. They are a scary offensive team. They’re physical and aggressive and they can really hunt elevation.”

Smith retired the first 11 ISU batters. The Redbirds manufactured their first hit — Colin Braithwaite’s double to the wall in right field in the fourth inning — on Smith’s 44th pitch.

Smith did not issue any walks, and had three-ball counts on three of 22 batters he faced.

“He lived in the cup,” Trapasso said of Smith targeting the lower part of the strike zone. “When he’s doing that, he’s capable of beating anybody.”

Smith said: “I was just pounding the zone. That was the plan.”

Smith exited — to an ovation — with one out and Braithwaite on second. Reliever Kyle Hatton threw out Braithwaite trying to steal third for the second out. Noah Sadler flied out to left to end the threat.

The ’Bows added a run in the seventh and three in the eighth. In the seventh, Dylan Vchulek doubled down the third-base line and then scored on Maaki Yamazaki’s ground single to center. Vchulek, who had reached base in 44 consecutive games last year, entered the series hitting .184. But he reached on his first three at-bats — a single, walk and double — before a flyout in the eighth.

“I feel back to normal,” Vchulek said. “The swing feels normal again. I’m getting back into my groove.”

In the eighth, Tyler Murray and Yamazaki hit run-scoring doubles to extend the ’Bows’ lead to 5-1. Adam Fogel followed with an RBI single.

Vchulek recorded the final out with a diving catch in center field.

“I got a good jump on it,” Vchulek said. “I wanted to make a play for the team to end the game.”

After stranding five baserunners in the first two innings, the ’Bows broke through with two runs in the third inning.

Johnny Weeks, who entered batting .129, smacked an opposite-field double to the right-field corner. Weeks went to third on a passed ball. After Logan Pouelsen walked, Weeks scored the game’s first run on Fogel’s sacrifice fly to center.

Pouelsen advanced to second on Chayce Ka‘aua’s single, then rumbled home on Dustin Demeter’s hit to center field.

Because of a congested schedule, the Redbirds opted to start freshman Jack Anderson, who had not pitched this season. Anderson walked three in the first inning, but the ’Bows could not score. The ’Bows had runners on first and second in the second, but Yamazaki lined into a double play. Anderson departed after two innings, and was followed by five relievers.