On the fifth day of this two-week California road trip, the University of Hawaii baseball team made a stop in the record books.
In another offensive outburst, the Rainbow Warriors accumulated 14 hits en route to Saturday’s 14-2 rout of UC Irvine before 638 at Anteater Ballpark.
The outcome helped the ’Bows set program marks for most runs and widest margin of victory in a Big West game. This also was the ’Bows’ largest true road victory since beating Florida State 15-0 in 2005. In 2007, the ’Bows defeated Sacramento State 19-7 in a game played in Reno.
Most significant, the ’Bows won the series 2-1. They entered the three-game set winless in six previous games in Irvine since joining the Big West in 2013.
The ’Bows, who amassed 39 hits in the three games, improved to 16-9 overall and 2-1 in the Big West. The Anteaters fell to 14-12 and 1-2.
“It was maybe the best game we played,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said in a postgame phone interview. “I’m very proud of our guys. They played like they realized how good they can be against a very good opponent in a very tough place.”
UH’s 1-2-3 hitters — shortstop Maaki Yamazaki, left fielder Johnny Weeks and right fielder Adam Fogel — each drove in three runs. Eight ’Bows had at least one hit, led by Fogel’s three. Second baseman Dustin Demeter was hitless, but he scored three runs after reaching base on two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Fogel’s two-run double, his 12th two-bagger of the season, was the key shot in a five-run second.
The ’Bows led 6-1, 8-1 and, after five innings, 10-1.
That was more than enough cushion for right-hander Neil Uskali, who improved to 5-1. Uskali relinquished 10 hits, but issued no walks, and only one of the two runs was earned in 72⁄3 innings. Uskali escaped a bases-loaded jam with the Anteaters scoring one run in the second inning. The ’Bows turned inning-ending double plays in the first and sixth.
“For the most part, he was in command,” Trapasso said of Uskali. “When you get a big lead, it’s a lot easier to pitch. You relax. You don’t have to be perfect. You just work on pounding the zone and getting ahead of the hitters. Sometimes you give up more hits than normal, but you won’t have any walks, and we’ll take that any day.”
Kyle Hatton, who experienced lower-back discomfort a week earlier, got the final four outs.
The Anteaters used 22 players. None of the Anteaters’ six pitchers went more than two innings. Starter Trenton Denholm allowed seven hits and six runs in two innings. Relievers Sean Sparling and Alonzo Garcia were each tagged for two runs. Brendan Brooks, who started in left field before moving to third base, pitched the final inning. Brooks allowed four runs.
Saturday’s game was the ’Bows’ last scheduled meeting against a Mike Gillespie-coached team. In February, Gillespie announced he would retire at the conclusion of the 2018 season, ending a 47-year coaching career.
The ’Bows will travel to Stockton, Calif., today ahead of Monday’s nonconference game against Pacific. After that, they will go to Davis, Calif., in preparation for the weekend’s series against UC Davis.