HONOLULU – Collin Bennett hit a walk-off single up the middle in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the University of Hawai'i Rainbow baseball team (24-22, 7-10 WAC) an 11-10 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies (35-17-1, 13-7-1) in front of a crowd of 2,445 at Les Murakami Stadium Thursday. Lenny Linsky (1-0) got the win for UH while Justin Cooper (4-2) took the loss for NMSU.

 

Bennett ended up going 4-for-6 with three RBI and a run. Kolten Wong added a 2-for-4 game with three runs, a double and a stolen base while Greg Garcia went 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run and one double. David Freitas had two RBI in a 1-for-2 game with a run and two walks while Pi'ikea Kitamura was 1-for-3 with two runs, one RBI and two walks.

 

Hawai'i opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Wong and Freitas came in on an error by the Aggies, putting UH ahead 2-0.

 

NMSU answered with a run in the second before putting up five runs in the third to take a commanding 6-2 lead. Freitas singled in a run in the bottom of the inning to cut it back to 6-3, only to see the Aggies score two more in the top of the fourth, making it 8-3.

 

The Rainbows then started their comeback. After scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth, Freitas and Garcia both drove in runs to get it back to 8-6 after the fifth inning. UH then tied it in the sixth as #Montplaisir# scored on an error before Kitamura drove in Wong, tying the score at 8-8.

 

The Aggies took the lead back in the top of the seventh as Zac Fisher hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run to right, making it 10-8.

 

Then Bennett came up big for the Rainbows, driving in runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the score at 10-10. Hawai'i had a chance in the bottom of the ninth as Chase Koissian doubled with one out. But the Aggies got through the inning unscathed sending the game to extra frames.

 

In the bottom of the 10th, Jeffrey Van Doornum had a lead-off walk before Freitas was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Garcia then laid down a great sacrifice bunt. NMSU tried to get the lead runner at third on the play, but the throw wasn't in time, leaving the bases loaded. Bennett then came up with his heroics, smacking a 1-1 pitch up the middle to score Van Doornum for the thrilling victory.

 

The series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader at 3:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. The finale will then be on Sunday, May 16, at 1:05 p.m.

 

-UH-