HONOLULU – Alex Giroux turned in five perfect innings of relief while
Jordan Donahue led the way offensively to propel the Hawai'i baseball team to a 3-2 win over CSUN in the series opener Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.
The Rainbow Warriors extended their winning streak to a season-best six games while snapping the Matadors' nine-game winning streak.
Giroux entered in the fifth inning in relief of UH starter
Sebastian Gonzalez and set down all 15 batters he faced to lock down the win. The junior struck out eight over five innings on just 56 pitches, punching out six in a row at one point from the fifth through seventh innings.
After CSUN got on the board with a run in the second inning, Donahue provided the answer in the bottom half with a clutch two-out, two-run double that just got down in front of a diving Matador center fielder to make it 2-1.
The Matadors tied it up at two with an unearned run in the third, but Donahue again delivered the response in a two-out situation with an opposite field single in the fourth to put UH in front for good.
Gonzalez got his second consecutive Friday night start and pitched four innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Gonzalez and Giroux combined to punch out 12 batters while walking none to mark the second time this year that Hawai'i pitching has fanned at least 12 while walking none in a game. It's also the third time this year that the Rainbow Warrior pitchers have not surrendered a base on balls in a game.
The Rainbow Warriors and Matadors play game two of three Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.
