HONOLULU – Down a pair of runs late in the game, the Hawai'i baseball team rallied for a four-run seventh inning to open the series vs. Long Beach State with a 6-4 win Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.
After the Dirtbags (22-13, 9-7 Big West) took a 4-2 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, the Rainbow Warriors (17-13, 7-6 Big West) came storming back with four in the bottom half to go in front for good.
Ben Zeigler-Namoa singled and
Zach Storbakken doubled to lead off the inning before
Tai Walton hit a ground ball that got past the LBSU third baseman to cut the deficit to one.
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Dallas Duarte walk loaded the bases two batters later, and
Matt Wong tied it up with a single to left field, scoring Storbakken.
Jacob Igawa gave UH the lead one batter later, lining a single to left field to drive in Walton while Duarte scored after a bobble by the left fielder, making it 6-4.
From there
Harrison Bodendorf shut the door, getting a ground ball double play to face the minimum in the eighth before working a 1-2-3 ninth to end it. The freshman earned the win after entering to start the seventh, throwing three innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Dirtbags got on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the opening frame, but Duarte delivered an immediate answer for the 'Bows, smashing a leadoff homer to left field to tie it up at one.
Kyson Donahue put the Rainbow Warriors in front in the third inning, knocking a two-out double off the wall in right center to score
Matt Wong and make it 2-1.
Harry Gustin turned in his third quality start of the season, working six innings while allowing two runs on just three hits and fanning three. Gustin has worked into the sixth inning in five of his last six starts and has a 2.19 ERA over 25.0 innings in his last four starts in Les Murakami Stadium.
Storbakken turned in his second multi-hit game as a Rainbow Warrior, going 2-for-4 while adding his first extra-base hit of the year with his seventh-inning double. Igawa and Wong both drove in a run for the third straight game, with each finishing 1-for-3, while Duarte went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a homer and a walk in his first game in the leadoff spot this year.
The Rainbow Warriors and Dirtbags continue their series Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.
Randy Abshier (3-1, 4.08) is scheduled to throw for the 'Bows while Nico Zeglin (4-3, 2.72) is slated to pitch for LBSU.
