Baseball Falls In Opener vs. No. 7 Oregon State

HONOLULU – The Hawai’i baseball team fell into an early hole and couldn’t dig out of it in an 11-4 loss to No. 7 Oregon State before a sold-out Les Murakami Stadium in Friday’s series opener.
 
OSU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the second inning then added three in the fourth to create a lead that it wouldn’t surrender to snap the Rainbow Warriors’ streak of 16 consecutive home wins in May that dated back to 2022.
 
The Beavers jumped in front from the get-go. After an error allowed the leadoff batter to reach to start the game, a double, sacrifice fly and wild pitch made it 2-0 after a half inning. Oregon State added four more runs in the second inning on six hits to open up a 6-0 advantage.
 
The ‘Bows battled back with single runs in the second and third to cut the deficit to 6-2, but a two-out, three-run double in the fourth broke things open at 9-2.
 
UH added two more runs in the fourth, scoring first on an RBI groundout and an error on a failed pickoff attempt to make it 10-4.
 
Max Jones delivered a stellar effort out of the bullpen, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts while allowing just two hits and a walk. In his sixth start as both the pitcher and designated hitter, Itsuki Takemoto paced the ‘Bows offensively finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
The two teams continue their series Saturday at 6:35 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s games are already sold out, however fans can still purchase tickets for Friday and Saturday’s games online through SeatGeek, or buy standing room tickets at the door. Tickets are still available for Monday’s game, including a $5 upper level ticket deal.