HONOLULU — Hawaii's baseball team went from hiding to being out in the open Friday night.
In the opening game of a three-game nonconference series at Les Murakami Stadium, UH exploded for 13 consecutive points in the fifth and sixth innings to defeat San Diego State 16-5 and finish with its highest score of the season. Ta.
San Diego State freshman Colby Turner lost his grip on the bat while swinging in the second inning. The ball hit the net above the UH dugout and fell straight down, forcing the players to move out of the way. He timidly took the bat and struck out, but then SDSU (6-14) got two hits and jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
UH (13-7) fought back by sending 14 batters to the plate in the fifth inning and scoring eight runs, and added five more in the sixth inning.
Continuing the trend of plate discipline throughout the season, UH had 11 walks and also had a team-record six hit by pitches.
Jake Tsukada was planked four times during the match, forcing runs on two of them, setting an individual program record.
Austin Machado scored four points and Kyson Donahue added four points. Leadoff man Jordan Donahue went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, raising his batting average to .409.
Alex Giroux pitched 3 2/3 innings in his second start Friday night, allowing six hits, including four straight in the top of the third when the Aztecs sent eight men to the plate and scored three runs.
Danny Berros (3-0) earned the win with five strikeouts and no hits or walks in his second innings of relief. In the top of the 6th inning, he had four strikeouts and Sean Montoya reached first base on a strikeout and a wild pitch.
The former WAC foes resume the series Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. Contact him at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
