DAVIS, Calif. – The Hawai'i baseball team dropped its series finale to UC Davis, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium. With the defeat, the Rainbow Warriors (25-21, 14-13 Big West) dropped two out of the three games in the weekend set against the Aggies (26-25, 14-16 Big West).
Hawai'i struck first in the top of the third inning.
Noah Rodriguez sparked the offense with a single to right field and advanced to second on a single up the middle from
Kamana Nahaku.
Tate Shimao then delivered an RBI single to left-center, bringing home Rodriguez to give the 'Bows an early 1-0 advantage.
Hawai'i threatened again in the fifth when Rodriguez doubled to left and advanced to third on an error, but he was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a ball that got away from the catcher to end the scoring opportunity.
UC Davis answered in the middle innings, tying the game in the bottom of the fifth when Zach Story laced an RBI single to left field to score Ryan Lee. The Aggies then took the lead for good in the sixth inning. Elijah McNeal singled to left and was immediately brought home on an RBI double to left-center by Ethan Felix. Two batters later, Lee added an RBI single of his own to score Felix, capping the scoring and extending the UC Davis lead to 3-1.
Freshman right-hander
Brody Martin-Grudzielanek (0-5) suffered the loss for Hawai'i despite a solid start. He tossed 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out eight batters and walking just one. Relievers
Tsubasa Tomii and
John Alkire II combined to throw the final 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, with Tomii inducing a flyout to end the sixth and Alkire II striking out one in the eighth to keep the game within reach.
Nahaku and Rodriguez paced the Hawai'i offense, each recording two hits, including a double. However, the Rainbow Warriors stranded seven runners on base throughout the contest and were unable to mount a late comeback.
The Rainbow Warriors return home for the final series of the regular season against CSUN, Wednesday through Friday at Les Murakami Stadium. First pitch for all three games will be at 6:35 p.m.
