HONOLULU – Behind season highs in both runs and hits, the Hawai'i baseball team opened its series against Northeastern with an 11-5 win Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Warriors improved to 8-1 on the season, their best start since winning eight of the first nine in 1999, while winning their 24th game in the last 26 dating back to April 21 last year – the best record in the nation over that stretch.
 
UH scored in all but two innings to plate a season-high 11 runs while banging out 17 hits, led by Matthew Miura's four RBIs and 4-for-5 day at the plate. Xaige Lancaster added a 3-for-5 performance while Kamana Nahaku turned in a career day, going 3-for-3 with four runs scored as eight of the nine Hawai'i starters recorded hits.
 
The Rainbow Warriors jumped out to an early lead with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings. Nahaku started a two-out rally with a base hit in the second before coming around to score on a balk to make it 1-0. Jared Quandt doubled the lead with an RBI single in the third and Miura drove in Nahaku to make it 3-0 in the fourth.
 
After the Huskies answered with two runs in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2, the 'Bows came roaring back with four in the bottom half to open up the lead.
 
A Konnor Palmeira RBI groundout drove in Lancaster, who led off the inning with a hit, before Nahaku dropped down a bunt single with two outs to plate another and make it 5-2. Miura delivered the big blow in the inning with a two-out, two-run double to right center to stretch the lead to 7-2.
 
Northeastern cut into the UH lead with a two-run homer in the seventh, but UH again responded with three runs in the bottom half. Shunsuke Sakaino drove in the first two runs of the frame with a single back up the middle before another run came in on an error to make it 10-4. The two teams traded runs in the eighth with Miura driving in his fourth run of the night to give the game its final score.
 
Hawai'i set season-highs in runs (11), hits (17) and walks (9) while scoring five runs with two outs, meaning the 'Bows have plated 54.8 percent (34-of-62) of their runs with two gone in an inning.
 
Freddy Rodriguez pitched two innings and struck out three to get the win despite giving up two runs – his first earned runs allowed this year – in relief of Sebastian Gonzalez who pitched the first 4.1 innings and fanned three.
 
The 'Bows and Huskies continue their series Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. Tomorrow night's game is officially sold out, however standing room tickets will be available while supplies last at the Les Murakami Stadium box office starting one hour before first pitch.