UC Riverside baseball strands Hawaii

Jacob Shank hit a two-run homer and four UC Riverside pitchers combined to strand 12 Hawaii runners in today’s 3-2 victory at the Riverside (Calif.) Sports Complex.

The Rainbow Warriors entered the three-game series having won four in a row and seven of the past eight. But they could not overcome a 3-0 deficit punctuated when Shank hit his first homer of the season in the third inning.

The ’Bows closed to 3-1 when DallasJ Duarte was struck by a Corbin Barker pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh. But Jake Debbs replaced Barker, and struck out the next three ’Bows.

Pinch hitter Bronson Rivera’s run-scoring single to left cut the deficit to 3-2 in the eighth. But Tyler Frazier induced Duarte to pop out to short to end the UH threat.

Matt Wong walked to lead off the UH ninth, then advanced to second on the wild pitch. But Frazier got the final three outs to earn his second save.

The ’Bows fell to 20-14 and 9-7 in the Big West.

UCR improved to 8-29 and 2-14.