HONOLULU — A four-run second inning, five errors and four pass balls ultimately proved too much to overcome as the University of Hawai'i baseball team dropped the series finale, 7-4, and the four-game series to CSU Bakersfield on Sunday.
The Rainbow Warriors (16-14, 8-12 BWC) picked up right where they left off on Saturday and kept piling up the hits in the first inning. After right fielder
Scotty Scott reached third on his bunt single and throwing error by the CSUB third baseman, designated hitter
Dustin Demeter drove him in with a single to right field to take an early 1-0 lead. Demeter finished the series 7-15 in his first games back in the lineup since March 20.
The Roadrunners (11-8, 8-4 BWC) answered quickly by scoring four in the top of the second off of freshman
Jake Hymel. Two walks, three hits and a passed ball gave them a 4-1 lead. Three runs scored with two-outs as one came home on a passed ball and two came home on a double down the right field line. CSUB would tack on one more in the third with thanks to a walk, error and a sacrifice fly. Hymel (1-3) went 2.0 innings and allowed the four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out two.
The 'Bows got one run back on a two-out RBI double off the right field wall from left fielder
Jacob Igawa. The double broke an 0-14 slump for Igawa as he just missed a three-run homer.
In the top of the fourth, after junior
Brandon Ross exited with a potential injury, sophomore
Trevor Ichimura entered the game with a runner on first. After a walk, CSUB singled up the middle only to see center fielder
Adam Fogel throw out the runner at the dish. That was Fogel's first assist since 5/5/2018 against Cal Poly and the 17th of his career.
The 'Bows tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth. Following a lead-off triple by catcher
Jared Quandt, a CSUB balk allowed him to score. Three more hits in the inning, including the RBI single from Scott brought home the second run of the inning and made it a one-run deficit, 5-4. The Roadrunners called on Ethan Skuija who stranded two runners with a strikeout. Skuija got the final 16 outs and struck out eight and allowed just two hits.
The Roadrunners scored one in the seventh with a double and single. In the ninth, they added one more insurance run off a lead-off single, stolen base and two passed balls.
Ichimura went a career-high 3.1 innings in relief of Ross and allowed one run. Junior
Buddie Pindel came on in relief of Ichimura and stranded two runners on in the seventh with two strikeouts.
Hawai'i stays home to take on UC Davis April 23-25 at Les Murakami Stadium.
