HONOLULU- The University of Hawai'i baseball team got their first home conference win 4-3 against UC Irvine on Saturday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (8-13, 2-3) handed the Anteaters (14-8, 4-1) their first conference loss of the season.
 
The 'Bows jumped on the Anteaters in the first with a leadoff triple from sophomore third baseman Aaron Ujimori. With the infield in, a groundball from junior catcher Dallas Duarte was thrown in the dirt at home plate, allowing the first run to score. Duarte would get moved over to third after another throwing error, and subsequently got hit across by another groundball.
 
UCI answered back in the top half of the second after a ball got lost in the lights, giving up a triple. With the runner 90 feet from the plate, a passed ball allowed him to come home. One batter later, Irvine blasted a solo home run to tie the game 2-2.
 
Graduate Andy Archer settled in for the next three innings as the 'Bows secured two more insurance runs for him in the bottom of the fifth. Ujimori led off with a single before being moved over on a sac bunt. With Ujimori in scoring position, Duarte laid down another bunt that would be thrown in the dirt and get away from the first baseman scoring the runner from second. After a deep fly ball moved the runner over to third, junior right fielder Matt Wong had a throw beat at first, and another error would allow him to advance. UH got the bases loaded on the next two at-bats but could not convert.
 
UC Irvine found one more run in the sixth with two doubles that brought them within one.
 
The Hawai'i bullpen consisted of Buddie Pindel pitching the final three and two-thirds, not allowing a run and only one hit with five strikeouts.
 
Archer found success in his first win with five and third innings, only giving up three earned runs and striking out a trio.
 
Ujimori led the 'Bows with two hits and accounted for two of the four runs. While Duarte and Wong each had a pair of RBIs.
 
The Rainbow Warriors returns for the rubber match on Sunday afternoon, with the first pitch set for 1:05 pm HT.