Box Score
HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (28-11, 6-5 WAC) shutout the New Mexico State Aggies (14-27, 1-9) 6-0 in front of a crowd of 2,546 at the Les Murakami Stadium Friday, handing the Aggies their first shutout loss of the season.
Steven Wright (7-2) pitched another gem, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 11 in 7.0 innings to get the win. Kyle McFadden (1-5) took the loss for NMSU
Luis Avila provided half of UH's runs, driving in three in a 1-for-2 game. Matthew Inouye added a 2-for-5 game with two stolen bases, a run and a RBI while Elijah Christensen was 2-for-3 with a run.
Avila put UH on the board in the first inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to left, bringing in Derek DuPree to make it 1-0. In the mean time, Wright was in total control as he struck out eight of the first 10 batters he faced, including five straight between the second and third innings.
Hawai`i then added to their lead in the fifth as Inouye singled in a run before Esteban Lopez hit a two-run double down the left line, making it 4-0. Avila added the final two runs in the eighth on a two-run single up the middle, making the final score 6-0.
Tyler Davis pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts to complete UH's third shutout of the season, but the first nine-inning shutout since April 30 of last year.
The two teams will continue their series tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the Les Murakami Stadium. The gametime has been moved up from its original time of 6:35 p.m. to accommodate the expected crowds for baseball and the MPSF Men's Volleyball Quarterfinal match vs. UCLA at the Stan Sheriff Center.
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