HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Wichita State scored in four of the first five innings and never looked back, rolling past Hawaii 11-4 on Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium. The victory ended Hawaii's 16-game home winning streak, the longest such streak in the nation.
The Shockers (2-3) grabbed command of the contest with one run in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth, while starter
Brady Hamilton held the Rainbow Warriors (5-1) without a run for the first five frames as WSU built a 5-0 lead.
Kam Durnin got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second before
Camden Johnson doubled the lead in the third inning with an RBI groundout. Freshman
Hunter Carlson, making his first career start, added a pair in the fourth via a two-run single before Durnin capped the barrage with another RBI single.
That was more than enough support for Hamilton (1-1), who set a new career high with eight strikeouts over 5.0 innings of work. The sophomore right-hander issued just one walk and allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) to pick up the victory.
Arnad Mulamekic kept the lead comfortable with strong work out of the Shocker bullpen, striking out four over 3.1 frames to pitch into the ninth.
Jordan Rogers delivered the decisive blow in the top of the seventh to blow the game open, cranking a three-run homer that ballooned the WSU advantage to 8-2. Wichita State tacked on three more runs for good measure in the eighth, taking advantage of a Hawaii error thanks to run-scoring singles from Rogers and
Josh Livingston, who finished the night with three hits. Carlson, Durnin, Rogers and
Jaden Gustafson all joined Livingston with multi-hit nights as part of a 13-hit outburst.
Aaron Arnold closed out the victory for the Shockers, recording the final two outs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.
Itsuki Takemoto (1-1) took the loss for Hawaii, allowing five runs on eight hits over 6.0 innings. The Rainbow Warriors committed four errors on the night, opening the door for six unearned runs.
The Shockers and Rainbow Warriors continue the series on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 pm CT.
