Providing memorable senior moments on senior day, shortstop Jordan Donahue carried the Hawaii baseball team Sunday to a 13-2 rout of UC San Diego and into this week’s Big West Championship tournament.
Before a sellout crowd announced at 3,029, Donahue hit two home runs, including a grand slam in a six-run third inning, lined a double to the right-field corner, and was credited with a steal of home in the seventh inning.
“I guess I was saving them all for the end,” said Donahue, who entered his final game at Les Murakami Stadium with zero homers in 117 at bats. “People were making jokes in the dugout. ‘Man, you’re the only one with zero in that lineup.’ I’m like, ‘it’s coming.’ Today, thankfully, I got two of them, and we went out there and got the win.”
It was a must-win game for UCSD and UH. They entered the final game of the three-game series with 15-14 records. The winner would receive the final berth in the five-team Big West tournament. UC Irvine, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara had claimed four of the spots.
By winning for the eighth time in nine Sunday games, the ’Bows earned the fourth seed and will be designated as the “home” team against UC Santa Barbara in the single-elimination opener today. The winner of that game faces top-seeded UC Irvine in Thursday’s start to the double-elimination segment. The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals.
UH first baseman Ben Zeigler-Namoa went 4-for-4 with a walk. Catcher Hunter Faildo had two hits and drove in two runs. Designated hitter Xaige Lancaster, in his second start since April 13, scored a run and drove home another. And Sebastian Gonzalez, Freddy Rodriguez and Isaiah Magdaleno combined on a five hitter for the ’Bows.
“We crushed balls today,” UCSD coach Eric Newman said of line drives right at UH fielders. “Still hit a couple over the fence. This was not about anything we did wrong. Jordan Donahue won the game for them. It’s pretty simple. He had a great day on senior day. Congrats to him. It’s not very often a player gets to go out on senior day with that type of performance in front of his home crowd. That’s the magic about baseball. On the other side, I hated it for our team. But as a baseball fan, it’s kind of a dream moment.”
UCSD center fielder Michael Crossland, who missed Thursday’s series opener because of an illness, hit a bases-empty homer in the first inning.
But the ’Bows tied it on Lancaster’s RBI single in the second.
“I’ve been hungry waiting for my opportunity,” said right-handed Lancaster, who matched up against left-handed pitcher Jake Villar. “Super glad I got in. Super glad the boys got a W. Any way to contribute and get us to the next game, that’s all I live for.”
In the third inning, the ’Bows broke away, scoring six runs for a 7-1 lead. Donahue’s grand slam — the third homer of his four seasons with the ’Bows — was the decisive shot.
“I didn’t know if I got it all,” Donahue said of the four-run drive that cleared the fence in right field. “Luckily, a little wind took it over.”
Donahue’s solo homer in UH’s two-run fifth made it 9-1.
“I got that one pretty good,” Donahue said.
In the seventh, Donahue hit a double down the right-field line, his fourth hit of the game. Donahue went to third on Lancaster’s deep flyout. On a squeeze play, the pitch was out of the zone to Hunter Faildo, and Donahue was caught off third. But third baseman JC Allen mishandled the ball, and Donahue came home with UH’s 10th run. He was credited with a steal because he broke for home on the pitch.
In the eighth, Donahue received rousing applause when he walked to the batter’s box with the bases loaded. After a popup to short, Donahue was given a standing ovation.
“It was unreal to watch,” Zeigler-Namoa said of Donahue, who scored three runs and drove in five.
“What a day to have a breakout performance,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “It was his last day playing at Les Murakami Stadium. Man, I’m speechless, actually. … It was great to see on that type of stage with this consequence. Him being able to do that, no adjectives to describe that performance.”
After mulling options, Hill and pitching coach Keith Zuniga decided to start left-hander Sebastian Gonzalez. Gonzalez allowed two solo homers in four innings.
Rodriguez allowed one hit in four scoreless innings. “Coach texted me (Saturday) night and asked if I was ready,” Rodriguez said, who responded, “whatever it takes, I’ll put it out there.”
Even with a 13-2 lead, Hill summoned closer Isaiah Magdaleno to pitch the ninth. “I’m one of those guys, I’ve seen too much in college baseball,” Hill said. “Plus he needed to work.”
Magdaleno needed 17 pitches to retire the Tritons in order.
“I was excited to go out there and do it for my team,” Magdaleno said.
