SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The University of Hawai‘i Rainbow baseball team (8-3) defeated the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2-2) 5-1 in front of a crowd of 253 at Ceasar Uyesaka Stadium yesterday. Koloa boy Mark Rodrigues (4-0) pitched his career
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The University of Hawai‘i Rainbow baseball team (8-3) defeated the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2-2) 5-1 in front of a crowd of 253 at Ceasar Uyesaka Stadium yesterday. Koloa boy Mark Rodrigues (4-0) pitched his career game, allowing just one run on three hits in a complete-game victory. Jeff Braun (0-1) took the loss for the Gauchos.
Rodrigues faced only one batter over the minimum, getting a complete game in just 82 pitches. The only batter that Rodrigues didn’t get out was Mike Zuanich, who hit the home run. Of the other two UCSB players who got hits, one was caught stealing and the other forced out on a double play.
Elijah Christensen led Hawai‘i offensively, going 2-3 with one RBI. Kris Sanchez extended his hitting streak to 15 games, going 1-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run. Brandon Haislet added a 2-5 game with one RBI, a double and a stolen base while Justin Frash was 1-4 with two runs scored. Jorge Franco also added a 1-3 game with two runs.
The ‘Bows threatened to score in the third inning, putting the first two batters on base. UCSB came up with a big double play to end the inning with the game remaining scoreless. Both pitchers kept control of the game for the first 41/2 innings, with Rodrigues facing the minimum number of batters through four.
Hawai‘i finally got on the board in the top of the sixth when Sanchez hit a two-run triple down the right field line before Christensen singled him in, putting Hawai‘i ahead 3-1.
Frash scored a run in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch, and Haislet had an RBI-single in the top of the ninth to push the lead to 5-1.
The two teams will close out their series today in the rubber match. Joshua Schneider takes the hill for the Rainbows against UCSB’s Mike Ford.
