On getaway day in Riverside, Calif., the University of Hawaii baseball team wasn’t able to get away with much.
The ‘Bows were held hitless until the eighth Sunday, and the Highlanders pounded 19 hits to salvage the finale of a four-game series, winning 9-2.
UH (15-11) missed on a chance to reach .500 in Big West play, falling to 7-9. Li’i Pontes (1-2) failed to build on his fine relief outing from a week ago, allowing 10 hits and four runs in 3 1/3 innings with two strikeouts.
All three of UH’s hits came from freshman pinch-hitters, with two coming off the bats of Waiakea alums Stone Miyao and Safea Villaruz-Mauai, who hit an RBI triple, the first three-bagger of his career, and scored on a groundout.
Kyle Anderson (1-0) left after five hitless innings and 63 pitches. According to Riverside release, the freshman right-hander reached his scheduled pitch count limit,
Maui’s Konnor Palmeira broke up the no-hitter with a single to lead off the eighth.
The Highlanders (7-16, 5-11) ended a five-game slide.
The ‘Bows used five relievers. Left-hander Tai Atkins, a former Kamehameha-Hawaii standout, entered the game in the seventh, hitting a batter and allowing an inherited runner to score on a single before getting a strikeout to end the inning. He was pulled in the eighth after a single and another hit batter. In 5 1/3 innings this season covering five appearances, Atkins has hit six batters.
Waiakea alum Jacob Igawa went 0 for 3, finishing the series 6 0f 17 with two doubles and four RBIs.