HONOLULU – Four different relievers helped the University of Hawai'i baseball team hold on to a 4-3 win over Washington State for the second win in a row against the Cougars (2-5).
"Big win tonight," Rainbow Warriors head coach
Mike Trapasso said. "We were able to get several arms in tight situations and they were able to have success."
Junior left hander,
Jeremy Wu-Yelland was used for the second night in a row and threw 1.2 innings with a pair of strike outs. The junior did not give up a base hit or a walk, but did plunk two batters.
The Rainbow Warriors (7-2) used a new leadoff batter for the first time in 58 games when sophomore right fielder
Tyler Best played table-setter for the Bows. Best put together a two-double night with two runs scored.
Hawai'i scored a run in the first inning and two runs in the second inning before plating a fourth in the fourth inning. The four runs were enough to top the Cougars for the second night in a row.
In the first inning, Best sprayed his first double of the year into the right field corner. A single by redshirt junior third baseman
Dustin Demeter moved Best to third and a fielder's choice by redshirt junior
Alex Baeza scored the opening run of the game.
The following inning, redshirt junior
Daylen Calicdan led off with a single to left field. Junior center fielder
Matt Wong then missed a home run by inches, plunking the top of the wall in left to score Calicdan from first. Two batters later, Wong scored on junior shortstop
Kole Kaler's first RBI single of the night.
Freshman second baseman
Stone Miyao bunted for a base hit in the fourth inning and then things got funky.
Best hit a grounder deep in the hole that the Washington State shortstop slid to his right to try and make a play. The ball sprung off his knee and shot into foul territory. Miyao rounded second and got the wave around third base but was thrown out on the play. Best ended up at third, advancing on the throw home to get Miyao, with his second double of the game.
Three pitches later, Kaler knocked in his second RBI of the night on a bloop single to right.
The Cougars scored a run in the top of the fourth inning and then scored a pair in the fifth on five hits in the inning to make it a one-run game.
Sophomore pitcher
Cade Halemanu came in to get the final two outs of the fifth inning and stranded the bases loaded. Redshirt junior
Carter Loewen came in for Halemanu in the seventh inning and stranded a pair of base runners. Wu-Yellend erupted when he got out of the eighth inning and played great defense on the mound to be a part of three outs defensively.
Hawai'i and Washington State meet for the series finale Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.
