PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (12-7) advanced to the championship game of the Rose City Baseball Invitational with a 3-1 victory over the Oregon Ducks (9-10) at PGE Park Saturday. Matt Sisto (2-1) got the win, allowing just one run on seven hits. Bennett Whitmore (1-3) took the loss for UO. Josh Slaats picked up the save for the 'Bows. UH will now face Portland tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. HST).

 

Greg Garcia went 1-for-4 with a double, one RBI and a run. Kolten Wong also was 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run while Ryan Morford went 1-for-2 with a run.

 

Oregon opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the second.

 

But Hawai`i answered right away. In the top of the third Garcia doubled in a run to tie the score at 1-1. Wong later drove in a run before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Macdonald, pushing the Rainbows to a 3-1 edge.

 

Sisto took over from then on, allowing just four hits in the next four innings to hold the two-run edge. Slaats got out of a jam in the eighth, striking out the final batter after loading the bases.

 

The Ducks threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, with runners on second and third with just one out. But Slaats got out of it, ending the game with a fly out and a ground out, to give Hawai`i the 3-1 victory.

 

UH faces the Pilots tomorrow, who beat the Rainbows 13-2 in an invitational game yesterday.