Drip, drip, drip, UC Santa Barbara used three singles score a run in the third inning against Hawaii ace Brendan Hornung.
Drip, drip, drip, UC Santa Barbara used three singles score a run in the third inning against Hawaii ace Brendan Hornung.
Then, boom, Austin Bush hit a mammoth home run to bring in three more.
The Gauchos hit ‘em medium and long Thursday, handing the Rainbow Warriors a 7-2 defeat to start a season-ending three-game series in Honolulu.
Hornung’s final appearance didn’t go the way the senior right-hander wanted. Falling to 6-6, he gave up another home run to Bush – who has a school-record 19 – and left after five innings. His ERA jumped to 3.25 in allowing six runs.
Hilo graduate Chayce Ka’aua started a two-run rally for Hawaii (26-23, 8-14 Big West) in the fifth when he reached on a error and later scored on Dustin Demeter’s two-run single.
Noah Davis (7-4) pitched six strong innings for the Gauchos (24-40, 8-14).
Freshman Melounova ousted at NCAAs
University of Hawaii freshman Petra Melounova’s season ended with a loss to LSU senior Joana Valle Costa in the second round of the NCAA Division I women’s tennis singles championships on Thursday in Athens, Ga.
Valle Costa, ranked 46th in the nation, advanced to the round of 16 and snapped Melounova’s 14-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Melounova, ranked 70th and the Big West player of the year, became the first UH player to advance in the NCAA tournament with an upset of No. 16 Rachel Pierson of Texas A&M on Wednesday and closed the season at 14-2.
Melounova broke Valle Costa’s first two service games and went back to serve with a 3-1 lead.
But Valle Costa rallied to win the next five games and Melounova dropped an opening set for the sixth time in 21 matches this season.
Valle Costa led 2-0 in the second set when rain forced an hour-long suspension of play.
Valle Costa held serve after the delay to extend her run to eight straight games. Melounova managed to hold her next two serves, but Valle Costa ended the match with her sixth service break.