HONOLULU – After trailing early on, the Hawai'i baseball team came from behind for the second straight day clinch a series win over UC Santa Barbara with an 8-5 win Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (28-20, 17-12 Big West) won their eighth straight game at home dating back to April 21, erasing a 3-0 deficit after the first inning by scoring the game's next eight runs. Hawai'i pitching racked up the punch-outs for the second day in a row, as Randy Abshier and Harrison Bodendorf combined for 17 strikeouts, with Abshier matching a career-high with nine and Bodendorf adding a season-best eight.
 
The Gauchos got on the board in the first inning for the second straight day, this time for three runs on a Christian Kirtley opposite field three-run shot, but the 'Bows battled back again.
 
UH scored four runs over the next three innings, getting one each in the second and third and two in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. Dallas Duarte put the Rainbow Warriors on the board in the second, lacing an RBI double to right center to score Sean Rimmer all the way from first, making it 3-1.
 
The 'Bows chipped away again in the third when Sean Rimmer came up with a two-out RBI single, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Jordan Donahue tied it in the fourth when he hustled around to score from second on a passed ball before Jacob Igawa put Hawai'i in front with a base knock through the right side to score Duarte who reached on a walk.
 
After a scoreless fifth, Hawai'i added four runs in the sixth to break things open. With one out in the inning, Stone Miyao hit his first home run of the year – a towering blast out to right – to make it 5-3. UH capitalized on some Gaucho miscues to put up the other three runs in the frame. Ben Zeigler-Namoa made it 6-3 with an RBI fielder's choice before coming in to score following a passed ball and wild pitch. The 'Bows added one more on a balk, stretching the lead to 8-3.
 
Matt Wong continued his huge weekend in his final series at Les Murakami Stadium, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored making him 6-for-8 with five runs scored on the weekend. Duarte and Miyao turned in two hits apiece with Miyao extending his hitting streak to nine with a 2-for-5 day. Igawa went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in 20 of the last 21 games while Rimmer went 1-for-2 with an RBI, run scored and two walks.
 
The Rainbow Warriors will wrap up the 2023 regular season with Senior Night on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.