HONOLULU – The Hawai'i baseball team dropped a slugfest in its series opener against No. 13 NC State, 17-12, Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
The Wolfpack pounded out 20 hits with seven for extra bases and scored four runs in an inning twice and used an eight-run seventh to blow things open. The Rainbow Warriors on the other hand banged out a season-high 12 hits while working 13 walks, drawing 10 or more free passes for the second-straight game.
The 'Bows took a 3-0 lead after the first, but the Wolfpack came roaring back with eight unanswered runs.
Ben Zeigler-Namoa and
Kyson Donahue each delivered sacrifice flies while
Matthew Miura drove in one with a double to score the UH runs in the first.
From there, NC State would plate eight runs in the third and fourth innings to open up a lead. Alec Makarewicz hit the first of his two home runs by lining a grand slam the other way to make it 4-3, Wolfpack. Makarewicz struck again in the fourth, this time a two-run blast to right to cap off another four-run inning to put the Wolfpack up 8-3.
UH battled back, cutting the deficit to just one after a four-run fifth. Three straight 'Bows delivered RBI hits in
Austin Machado,
Dallas Duarte and Zeigler-Namoa before another run came home on a double play to make it 8-7 after five.
NC State would break things back open for good in the seventh, scoring eight runs on six hits. The first seven Wolfpack batters of the frame reached base to plate the first six runs before two more came home later in the frame, making it 16-7.
UH has drawn 23 walks over the last two games after working 10 against Ole Miss Sunday, and has been issued 40 bases-on-balls in the first five games. The 'Bows have a team on-base percentage of .431 with four starters owning an OBP of over .500.
The 'Bows and Wolfpack continue their three-game series with game two Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
