HONOLULU – Rutgers baseball (11-2) scored six runs in the first inning and
Jared Kollar took it from there with eight strikeouts over a complete-game seven innings to beat Hawaii (5-9), 13-1, Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium. The victory in game one of a doubleheader evened the weekend series.
The Scarlet Knights saw seven consecutive batters reach with two outs in the first in scoring six times. The rally included seven hits. RU now has four wins this season by double digits and scored at least 10 runs in 8-of-13 games.
The bats posted 14 hits altogether, with both
Nick Cimillo and
Chris Brito (four RBIs) going deep. Cimillo is now hitting 22-for-44 on the season with four homers. In addition,
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer went 3-for-4, as
Mike Nyisztor,
Danny DiGeorgio and
Evan Sleight added multiple-hit outings in the balanced attack.
On the mound, Kollar went all seven innings to win for the third-straight week. The right-hander retired 16 of the first 17 faced, allowing just three hits and one run in the start. He struck out eight and did not walk or hit a batter.
Cade Helemanu took the loss for the Rainbow Warriors with eight runs against in 2.1 innings.
- T1 | The Scarlet Knights posted six runs on seven hits to take the early lead. Nyisztor started with a single and moved up on a Richie Schiekofer bunt. DiGeorgio singled, but Nyisztor was thrown out at the plate for the second out. Cimillo singled and Ryan Lasko walked to load the bases for Brito, who was hit to force in the first run. Next up, Sleight slashed a two-run double to left field, with Kuroda-Grauer and Jordan Sweeney both recording RBI singles right after. Nyisztor capped the rally with a double to right field to plate Kuroda-Grauer.
- T3 | RU tacked on three more to build a 9-0 advantage. Sleight worked a leadoff walk and Kuroda-Grauer singled, with Sweeney laying down a sacrifice bunt. After Nyisztor walked to load the bases, Schiekofer was drilled to bring in a run. DiGeorgio then ripped a two-run single.
- B3 | Jacob Igawa hit a solo homer to right field to put the Rainbow Warriors on the board.
- T5 | Cimillo turned on a pitch and drove it over the wall in left field to make it 10-1.
- T7 | Brito mashed a three-run homer to center, his 18th career homer.
