Tribune-Herald
Tribune-Herald
For all of the University of Hawaii’s ups and downs this season, senior Corey MacDonald has remained a stabilizing force. Fittingly, he’ll end the season with a winning record.
MacDonald won his third straight start Saturday as the Rainbow Warriors beat Cal Davis for the second straight day, rallying for a 6-2 victory at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.
UH (14-33, 9-14 Big West) will go for the sweep at 1 p.m. today in its final home game as it honors eight seniors, MacDonald included.
The 6-foot-6 senior right-hander improved to 7-5 by displaying his textbook resiliency. He worked into the eighth inning — its the 12th time in 13 starts this season that he’s gone at least six — and got the victory when Hawaii stormed back with five runs after Cameron Olson’s solo home run gave the Aggies a 2-1 lead in the seventh.
Austin Wobrock finished 2 for 4 and drove in three runs to key the comeback, an he made a couple of pivotal throws at shortstop.
Wobrock tied the game with a double to score Kalei Hanawahine, who led off the seventh with in a single, and Wobrock came in with the go-ahead run on Stephen Ventimilia’s hit.
In the eighth, Hawaii loaded the bases with the help of a Marc Flores double and a hit batter. Adam Hurley drew a bases-loaded walk and Wobrock’s infield single drove in two more runs.
Hanawahine was 2 for 4 with three runs scored, doubling in the second and coming home on Hurley’s single, and Flores was 2 for 4.
In 7 1/3 innings, MacDonald struck out five and allowed seven hits and two runs with no walks. Lawrence Chew retired all five batters he faced, one by strikeout, for his third save of the season.
Spencer Koopmans (1-8) took the loss for the Aggies (19-33, 5-18 Big West), yielding three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout.
MacDonald retired the first nine batters he faced before Tino Lipson singled to lead off the fourth. Spencer Henderson tied the game 1-1 with a RBI double, but Henderson was thrown out by trying to stretch his hit into a triple on a relay throw by Wobrock. Cal Davis tacked on two more singles, but MacDonald was able to limit the damage to just one run despite giving up four hits in the inning.
In the sixth, Paul Politi was thrown out at second by Wobrock trying to stretch his two-out single.