Donahue sets the tone in BaseBows’ 16-0 blowout win to clinch series over Aggies

HONOLULU — In just his third appearance of the year, Hawai’i senior shortstop Jordan Donahue is already in mid-season form.

Donahue, who earned All-Big West Second Team honors a season ago, went 3-for-3 and reached on all five plate appearances as the Rainbow Warriors clinched the conference series over UC Davis, 16-0, before a crowd of 2,508 at Les Murakami Stadium Sunday afternoon.

It was Donahue’s second game back since suffering a hand injury in Hawai’i’s season-opener on Feb. 14 that kept him out of 18 games for the Rainbow Warriors (16-5 overall, 5-3 Big West).

While it was his offensive prowess that stood out on the box score, it was Donahue’s defensive ability early on that ensured Hawai’i would get its second shutout of the season. Starting pitcher Liam O’Brien ran into a bases-loaded jam with one out in the top of the first before Donahue turned a double play to end the threat.

Hawai’i squeaked a run across the board in the second and third in what was a tight game in the early stages. That started to change in the bottom of the fourth when Donahue’s first single of the season drove in the first of three runs in the inning that gave the Rainbow Warriors a 5-0 lead heading into the fifth. Another RBI single by Donahue made it a 6-0 game after five innings of play.

The senior shortstop’s final hit of the afternoon came on a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning when Hawai’i tallied four runs to its total.

Donahue, who finished with two RBIs and a team-high three runs scored, was one of six players to record multiple hits on the afternoon as the Rainbow Warriors totaled 16 in the hit department.

Matt Miura was another key hitter as he went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored to continue a perfect streak at the plate in the series against UC Davis (11-9, 3-2).

Leading the team in RBIs for the day was Itsuki Takemoto and Ben Zeigler-Namoa with three apiece. Ziegler-Namoa was also had a pair of unassisted double plays playing at first base to help preserve the shutout.

Sebastian Gonzales earned the win after relieving O’Brien in the fourth. Gonzales scattered five hits across four and 2/3 innings with three strikeouts. Freshman Anthony Andrews closed the final frame on the mound, facing the minimum three batters.

Hawai’i will try to complete the series sweep Monday night at 6:35 p.m.