HONOLULU — Behind a quick start offensively and a dominant pitching performance, the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors took home their second win of the season in a 5-3 victory Saturday night in front of another sold-out Les Murakami Stadium crowd.
 
The 'Bows got the scoring started early, putting up four runs in the first three innings. From there, a dominant performance by Hekili Robello kept Hawai'i ahead through six innings.
 
UH jumped in front from the get-go with a pair of runs in the first inning. Tate Shimao led the game off with a hit-by-pitch and later scored on an Elijah Ickes single. The Rainbow Warriors added their second run of the inning when Ben Zeigler-Namoa reached on another hit by pitch and later scored on a Draven Nushida sacrifice fly.
 
The 'Bows doubled the lead with single runs in the second and third innings. Christian Hoffman and Jake Redding began the second inning with back-to-back doubles, with Redding driving in Hoffman for the third run of the game on a double down the right field line. Hoffman would come back to the plate in the fourth and join the RBI party at the bottom of the order with a sacrifice fly plating Kamana Nahaku, and making it 4-0.
 
Robello delivered a strong outing in his first appearance in a UH uniform.. The Hilo native finished his night with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings, giving up just three runs - one earned - before leaving in the seventh. The defense was the pitching staff's best friend, turning three double plays, including one in the fifth to get out of a jam.
 
Saul Soto entered in the seventh and locked down the save in his first appearance as a Rainbow Warrior. The reliever entered during a bases-loaded two-out situation in the seventh and got Gonzaga's second batter in the lineup to pop up in foul territory. Soto finished the game from there, working 2.1 innings with two strikeouts.
 
Redding added some key insurance with his second RBI of the night in the bottom of the eighth after Gonzaga scored a trio of runs in the seventh. After Tino Bethancourt reached base on another hit-by-pitch and later advanced to second on a beautifully placed sacrifice bunt by Evan Rolbiecki, Redding blasted a RBI-single down the left field line to make it 5-3.
 
Hawai'i will be back in action against the Zags Sunday at 1:05 p.m. looking to take the first three games of the season.