The Hawai’i baseball team lost its series finale to UC Davis, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors fell to a record of 25-21 overall and 14-13 in the Big West Conference, while the Aggies improved to 26-25 overall and 14-16 in conference play.
This result means Hawai’i dropped two out of three games in the weekend series against UC Davis. The outcome affects both teams’ standings as they approach the end of the regular season.
Hawai’i took an early lead in the third inning when Noah Rodriguez singled and later scored on an RBI single by Tate Shimao. In the fifth inning, Rodriguez doubled and advanced to third but was thrown out at home trying to score, ending a potential rally for Hawai’i.
UC Davis responded with runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Zach Story tied it with an RBI single scoring Ryan Lee in the fifth. In the sixth inning, Elijah McNeal singled before Ethan Felix hit an RBI double that gave UC Davis a lead they would not give up. Lee followed with another RBI single, bringing Felix home for a final score of 3-1.
Freshman pitcher Brody Martin-Grudzielanek started for Hawai’i and allowed three earned runs over five-and-two-thirds innings while striking out eight batters. Relievers Tsubasa Tomii and John Alkire II kept UC Davis from scoring further over the last two-plus innings. Offensively, Kamana Nahaku and Rodriguez each had two hits for Hawai’i, including doubles; however, seven runners were left stranded during the game.
The Rainbow Warriors will return home for their final regular season series against CSUN from Wednesday through Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.
