Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (3-0) defeated San Diego State (0-3) 9-7 in front of a crowd of 2,727 at the Les Murakami Stadium, pushing the 'Bows to their first 3-0 start since 1999. Tyler Davis pitched 4.0 innings in relief, giving up just two hits and an unearned run, taking the win while Justin Lynch got the loss for SDSU.

Luis Avila came up big at the plate for the Rainbows, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Matthew Inouye added a 2-for-3 game with two runs and one RBI while Robbie Wilder went 2-for-5 with a run.

The 'Bows got on the board in the bottom of the first.Elijah Christensen singled to right, only to see SDSU rightfielder Curt Mendoza miss the ball. The error allowed Wilder to come around and score from first while Christensen hustled all the way home to put UH up 2-0.

SDSU put up three runs in the top of the second and another in the third to hold a 4-2 edge. But Jorge Franco scored in the bottom of the third before Avila drilled a two-run double in the fourth to give the Rainbows a 5-4 advantage. Esteban Lopez sacrificed in Avila later in the inning to push the lead to 6-4.

The Aztecs struck back in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring two runs to tie it at six. But Lopez hit a double to left that scored Franco, putting Hawai`i back ahead 7-6. Inouye and Avila both drove in a run in the seventh to add two insurance runs in the seventh.

San Diego State would add an unearned run in the eighth and threaten with two runners in the ninth. But a Davis strikeout and a fly out to right ended the game, 9-7.

Hawai`i and San Diego State will close their series tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. at the Les Murakami Stadium. Justin Costi will pitch for UH while Adam Simon goes for the Aztecs.

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