Hawaii starting pitcher Jackson Rees exited after being struck on the mouth by a return throw in the first inning.
After that, the Rainbow Warriors took it on the chin in Friday night’s 7-2 baseball loss to Long Beach State at Les Murakami Stadium.
It was a challenging evening for the ’Bows, who are playing their final homestand of the regular season. By dropping to 25-21 overall and 9-10 in the Big West, the ’Bows still need a victory to ensure a winning season for the second year in a row.
The ’Bows opened with their ace, but then drew a wild card of misfortune.
Clayton Andrews led off with a four-pitch walk from Rees. After the third pitch to Brooks Stotler was called a ball, Rees looked away in disbelief. But catcher Kekai Rios already had thrown the ball toward the mound. The ball struck Rees, causing bleeding from his mouth. As blood dripped, Andrews scooted safely to second base.
After receiving treatment from the athletic trainer, Rees walked to the dugout. He threw his glove in frustration as he entered the corridor leading to the training room. Rees said he received five stitches to close the cut on the inside of his mouth.
“I thought it was a strike,” Rees said after the game. “I was kind of frustrated, and I looked down in frustration, and the ball hit me. It’s fine.”
UH coach Mike Trapasso described the incident as “ridiculous.”
Kash Koltermann, who was summoned in relief, completed the walk to Stotler.
Jarren Duran’s bunt resulted in second baseman Troy Kakugawa’s error, allowing Andrews to score and Stotler to race to third. Duran stole second, and then Leonard Jones walked to load the bases.
Jacob Hughey’s opposite-field bloop to left brought home Stotler and Duran to increase the Dirtbags’ lead to 3-0.
The Dirtbags refilled the bases when Chris Jiminez drew a four-pitch walk.
Left-swinging Tristan Mercadel’s two-run single to left extended the margin to 5-0 with no outs.
“I’m excited about tomorrow,” Trapasso said after the game. “That’s all I’ll say. We probably won’t play any worse. But I can’t promise bizarre, crazy stuff won’t happen.”
That 5-0 cushion was more than enough for LBSU’s Zak Baayoun, a left-handed sophomore who improved to 9-2. He has accounted for 36 percent of the Dirtbags’ victories.
Baayoun entered averaging 8.46 strikeouts per nine innings. He struck out three of the 30 batters he faced. But Baayoun, who throws with a side-arm motion, spaced eight hits and repeatedly worked out of jams. The ’Bows reached base in six of the first seven innings.
The ’Bows received a workmanlike shift from Koltermann, who was credited with three earned runs in six innings. Koltermann threw a career-high 96 pitches.
Koltermann, a left-handed junior, also provided reinforcement for a hard-luck pitching staff. Starting pitchers Neil Uskali (arm) and Cade Smith (oblique muscle) are unavailable while continuing to rehabilitate ailments. Colin Ashworth’s season ended two months ago because of an ankle injury. And now Rees’ start was abbreviated because of the mishap. UH’s hope is that Rees will be available to pitch one more time in front of the home crowd. As a junior, Rees is eligible for selection in next month’s Major League Baseball draft. He already has earned a bachelor’s degree. He will contemplate next year’s options if he is drafted.
“We’ll see how it feels,” Rees said. “I can potentially pitch on Sunday.”
The Dirtbags extended their lead to 7-0 with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Shaq Robinson’s sacrifice fly scored Hughey, who reached on an error to lead off the third. Jones’ run-scoring single brought home Duran in the fourth.
The ’Bows closed to 7-1 on Johnny Weeks’ RBI double to left-center in the fifth. In the seventh, Dylan Vchulek scored his second run of the game when Weeks hit into a double play.
