Box Score

RUSTON, La. - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (36-12, 13-6 WAC) took the first game of a double-header over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (28-21, 9-11) 5-3 at J.C. Love Field Saturday. Ian Harrington (6-3) got the win, allowing just three runs on six hits in 7.2 innings pitched. Darrell Fisherbaugh picked up his ninth save of the year, allowing just one hit in 1.1 innings of relief. Landon Braud (2-1) took the loss for Tech.

Esteban Lopez led the Rainbows, going 3-for-5 with a double, a run and a RBI. Justin Frash added a 2-for-5 game with a double, a run and a RBI, while Luis Avila and Matthew Inouye added 2-for-4 games. Robbie Wilder also had a 2-for-5 game with a double and a run.

Jericho Jones opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning. The 'Bows nickeled-and-dimed their way back as Lopez, Avila and Derek DuPree drove in a run each in the second, third and fourth innings, giving UH the 3-2 edge.

Frash was able to single in another run in the sixth to make it 4-2, while Harrington took control, retiring 17 of the 18 batters he faced between the first and sixth innings, after Jones' home run.

Tech got to Harrington in the seventh scoring a run to cut the deficit back to 4-3 while forcing the Rainbows to call on their closer, Fisherbaugh. Inouye drove in an insurance run in the top of the ninth, giving Fisherbaugh a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

The Bulldogs were able to get a single and advance their runner all the way to third. But that was as far as he'd get as Fisherbaugh closed the door with two-straight groundouts, giving UH the 5-3 victory.

The two teams will finish out the double-header later tonight.

-UH-