HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i (21-14, 3-5 BWC) baseball series with UC Davis (12-19, 5-6 BWC) got off to a tough start on Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium, as the Rainbow Warriors were swept by the Aggies by scores of 11-4 and 9-3, dropping their second conference series of the year.
 
Doubleheader Game 1: UC Davis 11, Hawai'i 4
Pushed back a day on his start by Friday's rain, it was an inauspicious start for starter Brendan Hornung, who allowed a two-out single and back-to-back hit batsmen in the first inning, setting up an RBI walk - just his sixth free pass of the year.
 
While the Aggies kept the Rainbow Warriors to just a trio of hits through the fifth, UH kept UCD under control during the early going, allowing just an additional run on a sac fly in the fourth. However, momentum swung against UH in the sixth, as the Aggies opened with consecutive hits and closed out with four more runs on the board for a 6-0 advantage.
 
Faced with the deep shutout, the 'Bows were quick to respond, as first baseman Eric Ramirez made an Adam Fogel leadoff double count in the home half, firing a two-run homer beyond the right field wall to swing the pendulum back in UH's favor. It marked his second straight game with a dinger.
 
Shortstop Dustin Demeter chipped in a sacrifice fly and catcher Kekai Rios reached for the fourth time in the game with an RBI single, capping off a four-run inning, slicing the defict to only two runs.
 
However, that's where the UH offense would end in the opening contest, while the Aggies were just getting started, racking up five more runs across the final three frames of the 11-4 win.
 
Throwing his shortest appearance at 5.0 innings, Hornung (5-3) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits in the opener.

Doubleheader Game 2: UC Davis 9, Hawai'i 3
The opening frames of the doubleheader's second contest set a tone for a pitcher's duel. Hawai'i starter Dominic DeMiero kept the Aggies from a base hit until the fourth, while UC Davis allowed four UH hits across the same span, stranding three UH runners.
 
The Rainbow Warriors were the first to make a scoreboard strike, as Ramirez again was the spark, sending home Rios on an RBI single through the infield.
 
However, the move also sparked the Aggies, who took only three batters to match the effort in the top of the fifth, first tying the game at 1-1. That's where the pitcher's duel ceased, as UCD came on even stronger in the sixth, putting five runs on the board after an infield error extended the inning.
 
Three more UCD runs in the seventh and the Rainbow Warriors made a retaliatory push in the eighth, as Chayce Ka'aua fired a two-run double over third base in just his second appearance of the season – coming off an injury that sidelined him through the first nine weeks. However, the effort was too little and too late, as the Aggies closed the door on the 9-3 win and the series victory.
 
DeMiero (4-4) took the loss for UH, throwing 5.2 innings with six runs allowed, two earned, on six hits with four walks.
 
The Rainbow Warriors and Aggies return to action in Sunday's finale at Les Murakami Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.