By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Senior Bryan Raines scattered nine hits and fought his way out of trouble when Dixie State College rallied to lead the University of Hawaii at Hilo to a 5-1 win over the Red Storm in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday.
The Pacific West Conference baseball twinbill was played at Wong Stadium. Game 2 ended right at the Tribune-Herald’s deadline Monday night and only a final score was available. Dixie State won 4-3 in nine innings.
The teams play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. today at Wong to close out the four-game series.
Raines, a gutsy right-handed pitcher out of Castle High School on Oahu, went the full nine innings to earn the win for the Joey Estrella-coached Vulcans 11-30 overall, 8-24 PacWest). He struck three and walked three while allowing only one run in the seventh inning against the dangerous Red Storm (23-12, 19-10).
Raines (1-7), with four complete games to his credit this season, outdueled Dixie State starter Bryce Anderson (2-2) who also pitched the distance. Anderson took the loss, allowing nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when UHH plated a run, then added two more runs in the fifth. Following the Red Storm’s lone run in the seventh, the hosts answered back with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to provide Raines with additional run support.
Juniors John Abreu and Jonathan James each had two hits to lead the Vulcans. James also had a run batted in as did Steven Riddle, Tyson Goo and Tyler Nitahara.
Colton Yack and Jordan Hanley each had two hits for the visitors. Catcher Joe Andrade had Dixie State’s lone RBI.
Following today’s doubleheader with Dixie State, the Vulcans host Academy of Art University in a season-ending four-game series on April 30-May 1 at Wong Stadium. The Vulcans and Urban Knights will play twinbills each day, starting at 4 p.m.
At Wong Stadium
Dixie State 000 000 100 — 1 9 4
UHH 000 120 11x — 5 9 1
