HONOLULU – Powered by two big scoring innings, the University of Hawaiʻi baseball team earned a 9-5 victory over visiting UC Davis in Big West action on Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
 
Hawaiʻi (12-16, 2-2 Big West) put up five runs in the second and three in the eighth to go with one more run in the third for the series-opening victory over the Aggies (9-13, 2-2 Big West).
 
After giving up three runs in the first inning, UH starting pitcher Aaron Davenport found his groove, going the next five innings without giving up a run. The freshman righty finished with a final stat line of 6.2 innings pitched, two strikeouts and four runs on eight hits for his second career win.
 
The UC Davis first-inning lead was short lived as the Rainbow Warriors notched five runs in the second to take a 5-3 edge. Daylen Calicdan's infield RBI single scored Ethan Lopez from third to start the scoring. Later in the frame, Tyler Murray leveled the scoring at 3-3 on a single up the middle to plate Dallas Duarte and Calicdan. The 'Bows put up the final two runs of the inning on a UC Davis error.
 
In the third, Calicdan knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3 in favor of the Rainbow Warriors.
 
The Aggies made things interesting with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to cut the UH lead down to 6-5.
 
The Rainbow Warriors put the game out of reach with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Maaki Yamazaki knocked in two runs with a single through the right side of the infield. After an Alex Baeza walk, Ethan Lopez picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice for a 9-5 lead.
 
Out of the UH bullpen, Colin Ashworth recorded the final out of the seventh, and Dylan Thomas got the final six outs of the game to earn the save.
 
Lopez and Brennen Hancock both had two hits for the Rainbow Warriors on the night.
 
Game two of the series versus UC Davis is Saturday, April 6, at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.