BASEBALL
c Hawaii 4, Pacific 3: Piikea Kitamura and Marc Flores both homered, and the University of Hawaii held on for a win Saturday at Stockton, Calif.
UH won its second straight and improved to 11-29 overall and 6-11 in the Big West Conference. Pacific fell to 10-31 and 3-14 in conference.
Corey MacDonald (5-5) pitched seven complete innings for the win, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout. Lawrence Chew worked a scoreless ninth inning for his fourth straight scoreless outing and first save of the season.
Flores (2-for-3) hit his homer in the second inning for the game’s first run, and Kitamura (2-for-4) hit a solo shot in the fifth that proved to be the difference in the game. Kalei Hanawahine batted 3-for-4 including an RBI double and a run scored in the Warriors’ two-run fourth inning.
Hawaii led 4-0 before Pacific rallied to score three runs in the seventh inning. Gio Brusa led off the inning with a home run. Taylor Murphy later delivered an RBI triple, and Tyler Sullivan scored a run on a bunt single to cut the lead to one. With the tying run on second, MacDonald got Brett Sullivan to ground out to retire the side.
Jake Jenkins (0-7) suffered the loss for the Tigers. He allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings before being lifted in the fourth inning for Michael Hager. Dustin Torchio had a team-high two hits for Pacific.
Adam Hurley batted 2-for-3 for Hawaii, and Austin Wobrock added one hit and one RBI.
Upcoming schedule
Today’s game
c Hawaii at Pacific, 10 a.m.
SOFTBALL
c Hawaii 8, UC Santa Barbara 0 (5 innings); Hawaii 11, UC Santa Barbara 9: Hawaii claimed at least a share of the Big West title with a doubleheader sweep over UC Santa Barbara.
In the clincher, Hawaii (40-11 overall, 17-4 in Big West) overwhelmed the Gauchos with four home runs. UH improved to 40-11 overall and 17-4 in conference action while
Hawaii got home runs from Kayla Wartner, Jasmine Zamora, Sharla Kliebenstein and senior shortstop Jessica Iwata. Iwata ended the game with a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
UH’s Loie Kesterson (3-4) earned her first shutout of her career, scattering four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Andriana Collins took the loss for UCSB (29-23, 10-11), dropping her record to 5-4. She gave up eight runs on five hits — four of which were home runs in 4 2/3 innings of work.
In the first game, Wartner’s solo home run in the fourth gave Hawaii a 7-6 lead, and the Rainbow Wahine never trailed again. Hawaii rallied back from deficits of 3-0 and 6-4. Hawaii hit five homers in the game, also getting a homer each from Kelly Majam, Iwata, Zamora and Liebenstein.
Kaia Parnaby (35-5) gave up nine runs on 15 hits, but she still lasted seven innings to earn the win. She struck out two and walked none.
Shelby Wisdom (16-15) gave up 11 runs in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss. She walked four and struck out one.
Kellani Jennings hit two home runs for UC Santa Barbara.
Upcoming schedule
Friday, May 10
c Hawaii at Pacific (DH), noon
Saturday, May 11
c Hawaii at Pacific, 9 a.m.
