Hawaii baseball falls short against No. 20 UC Irvine for second straight night
The Hawaii baseball team put up a valiant effort against No. 20 UC Irvine for the second consecutive night, but once again fell short in a 12-8 loss at Les Murakami Stadium on Friday.
Trailing 8-1 through the top of the fourth inning, the Rainbow Warriors clawed their way back into the game, eventually pulling within one run at 9-8 in the eighth inning. However, the Anteaters managed to shut the door on Hawaii’s comeback attempt, scoring three insurance runs in the ninth to secure the victory.
Despite the loss, Hawaii head coach Rich Hill commended his team’s resilience, stating, “Our team battled all the way through. We were behind the 8-ball tonight. Could’ve gone either way. We’re 8-1 down and guys just started scrapping back.”
The Anteaters’ offense was led by left fielder Caden Kendle, who went 4-for-4 at the plate, and first baseman Anthony Martinez, who continued his hot streak with a 3-for-5 performance. Irvine’s designated hitter Thomas McCaffrey also made a significant impact with a three-run home run early in the game.
Hawaii will look to avoid a series sweep in Saturday’s finale, with Hill expressing confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back. “We’ll figure it out. But we’re semi-rested to get after this thing,” he said.
The Rainbow Warriors will need to regroup quickly as they aim to salvage a win in the final game of the series against the formidable Anteaters.