LA JOLLA, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i baseball team picked up its fourth consecutive win and clinched its seventh straight series win on Saturday with a 9-5 victory over UC San Diego Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (26-21, 17-9) have exceeded their previous wins mark of 16 against Big West opponents with their 17th win, a feat they hadn't done against a conference opponent since 2011, when UH finished first in Western Athletic Conference with a 17-7 record. The Tritons (23-29, 12-14) have dropped four in a row and have dropped back-to-back series against Big West foes.
 
Duplicating the same combination of success the night before, UH used its power in the early innings to set the tone. In the top of the second senior left fielder Scotty Scott slugged his first career home run for a two-run shot, scoring sophomore catcher Nainoa Cardinez. UCSD evened it up in the bottom half of the inning after a throwing error by Aaron Ujimori put runners at second and third, the Tritons capitalized on a ground out, and a sacrifice fly to make it 2-2.
 
The fourth inning proved to be a big inning for the 'Bows as they scored five, with three of those runs coming off the bat of senior right fielder Matt Wong. On a 0-1 count, Wong was sitting on the fastball and smashed a no-doubt three-run homer to left field extending the lead to 7-2. As a result of the home run, Wong now leads the team with 34 runs batted in on the season.
 
The offensive output and power surge continued for the team in green as UH pushed another run across in the fifth off a bases-loaded walk. In the sixth, Cardinez sent a bomb over the left-field wall for his third homer of the year, and his second in as many games, making it 9-2. The Tritons inched closer in the seventh and eighth innings combing for three runs, but it wasn't enough as senior Buddie Pindel closed it out in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
On the afternoon, seven of the nine batters in the UH lineup record hits, including five of them notching multi-hit games. Freshman shortstop Jordan Donahue went four-of-five from the plate with three singles, a double, and a walk. He is currently 7-of-11 in the series. Sophomore second baseman Stone Miyao continues to be a terror at the plate extending his on-base streak to 22 games, as he finished the day three-for-four.
 
Junior starting pitcher Cade Halemanu (3-5) notched the win, his first since April 22nd against UC Davis. The Pearl City, O'ahu native went six innings, allowed eight runs, two runs, but none earned and recorded four strikeouts.
 
UH, and UCSD will conclude their season series on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. HT. The 'Bows will look for their third series sweep of a conference opponent this season.
 
#HawaiiBaseball