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RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Corey MacDonald pitched his shortest outing of the season and the University of Hawai'i Rainbow baseball team could not overcome an early deficit in a 7-2 loss to UC Riverside on Friday at the Riverside Sports Complex.

MacDonald (7-6) threw five and one-third innings coming with two-thirds of an inning of reaching 100 for the season. He gave up five runs over the first three innings and finished allowing six runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts. MacDonald was lifted for Scott Kuzminsky who struck out a season-high five batters in 2.2 innings.

Francisco Tellez (3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI) owned Rainbow pitching for the second straight day, belting two run-scoring triples in his first two at bats. Devyn Bolasky (2 H, 2 RBI) and Alex Rubanowitz (2 H, 2 R) also provided the offense for the Highlanders. Ben Doucette (3-7) allowed two runs on nine hits in a complete-game victory.

Conner George and Austin Wobrock both recorded a pair of hits for UH (16-34, 11-15 Big West), with George adding one run.

Tellez got the UC Riverside (13-32, 9-18 Big West)  bats going early, tripling in Phil Holinsworth (2 H, 2 R) to kick start a three-run second inning. Tellez scored on a sacrifice fly on the next at bat and Bolasky's RBI-single pushed the lead to 3-0.

UCR was back it again one inning later. Tellez hit his second RBI triple and later scored on a MacDonald wild pitch as the Highlanders built a 5-0 lead through four innings.

The 'Bows finally got on the board when they plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Kalei Hanawahine (1 H, 1 R, 1 RBI) hit an RBI-triple and then scored on Max Duval's first double of the season.

Hawai'i and UC Riverside will both conclude their seasons when they play their series finale on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. PT (10:00 a.m. HT).

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