BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Alex Giroux and Itsuki Takemoto combined on a five-hit shutout to lead the Hawai'i baseball team to a 2-0 win over Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West opener for both teams Friday.
 
In his first start of the year, Giroux dazzled from the get-go throwing 7.2 scoreless innings while holding the Roadrunners to just four hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Takemoto entered with two runners on and two out in the eighth and got the final four outs to earn his fourth save.
 
Giroux faced the minimum through three innings and allowed just one runner to get to second base over his first seven innings of work. The junior shattered his previous career-high of five innings pitched while his 7.2 innings are the most by a UH starter this year.
 
UH got all the offense it would need with single runs in the first and fourth innings. Jake Tsukada got the scoring started with a two-out base knock in the first to score Austin Machado, who reached on a one-out double. Stone Miyao made it 2-0 in the fourth on an opposite-field single to score Tsukada who reached on a bunt single and error to start the frame.
 
Takemoto worked around some traffic in the eighth and ninth innings to close things out. The freshman struck out the first batter he faced to strand a pair of runners in the eighth before working around a one-out double and walk in the ninth with a fly out and strikeout to end it.
 
Machado, Tsukada and Kyson Donahue all went 2-for-4 with Machado now reaching base in all 17 games. Tsukada drove in a run for the third-straight game and has hit safely in his last four while Donahue delivered his second multi-hit game of the year.
 
The two teams continue their series Saturday at 10 a.m. HT.