DAVIS, Calif. – Fresh off a historic performance last week, junior right-hander
Isaiah Magdaleno delivered another masterful outing on the mound, striking out nine batters over eight stellar innings to guide the Hawai'i baseball team to a 4-1 victory over UC Davis in the weekend series opener on Friday night at Dobbins Stadium.
The recently named National Pitcher of the Week proved his dominance was no fluke, holding the Aggies to just one run on four hits. Magdaleno (6-4) issued only one walk and threw exactly 100 pitches to earn the victory and continue his phenomenal late-season stretch.
The Rainbow Warriors (25-19, 14-11 Big West) provided their ace with early run support, striking for a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. After
Kamana Nahaku was hit by a pitch and
Ben Zeigler-Namoa singled to put runners on the corners, freshman
Mana Lau Kong lined an RBI single through the left side to put Hawai'i on the board.
Draven Nushida immediately followed with an RBI single to center field, scoring Zeigler-Namoa to give the 'Bows a quick 2-0 advantage against UC Davis starter Grayson Bonanno (0-2).
Hawai'i extended its lead in the fourth inning when catcher
Jake Redding blasted a solo home run to left field—his first long ball of the season. The 'Bows added a final insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Lau Kong showed worked a two-out, bases-loaded walk to bring home Redding and push the lead to 4-0.
Nushida paced the Rainbow Warrior offensive attack with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, while Lau Kong finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Redding also contributed a multi-run night, scoring twice to complement his solo shot.
UC Davis (24-25, 12-16 Big West) was completely stifled by Magdaleno until they managed to scratch across their lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI single from Tyler Howard. Hawai'i reliever
Tsubasa Tomii took over in the ninth inning and seamlessly shut the door, retiring the Aggies in order on just 13 pitches to secure his first save of the season.
Magdaleno has been absolutely dominant in his last two starts, combining for 25 strikeouts to just two walks while allowing a run on five hits over 17.0 innings. He also reached the 200-career strikeout milestone Friday night and now has 203 over his three seasons at UH.
The Rainbow Warriors and Aggies play game two of the series Saturday at 3 p.m. HT.
