MĀNOA — Before opponents see it, they feel it.
Mānoa Magic, the phenomenon and phrase that often surrounds the University of Hawai‘i baseball team during home games at Les Murakami Stadium, was on full display in the team's series win over Gonzaga.
The Rainbow Warriors defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 on Friday night on a walk-off fielder's choice. A strong pitching performance by Hekili Robello and Saul Soto lifted the 'Bows to a 5-3 victory on Saturday. After the Bulldogs took Sunday's game 7-2 in 10 innings, the Zags entered the bottom of the ninth inning of Monday's finale up 3-2.
Heavy rain and winds were consistent throughout the weekend, but when both started to pick up towards the end of Monday's contest, the feeling in the air was eerie.
"The mist started falling down, which is awesome. And you could definitely feel the vibes were up," Hawai‘i senior Ben Zeigler-Namoa said.
After singles from Tate Shimao and Elijah Ickes in the bottom of the ninth inning, Zeigler-Namoa tied the game with a single up the middle. On the very next pitch, a wild pitch to Jake Redding allowed Ickes to score the winning run, giving the Rainbow Warriors a 4-3 walk-off victory.
Gonzaga outscored Hawai‘i 15-14 over the course of the four games, yet the Rainbow Warriors exited 3-1. Sometimes, Mānoa Magic doesn't have to make sense.
"We're a work in progress," Hawai‘i head coach Rich Hill said. "The result was really good. To get a series win against a Gonzaga team, who is extremely well coached, they're very athletic, and they're going to be a team to reckon with at the end of the season.
"Our whole offense, we didn't score in too many innings. ... But they executed. Just a great performance."
All four starters that took the mound for the Rainbow Warriors delivered strong performances. Ace pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno delivered six innings on Friday, allowing three hits and a run while striking out six. It was the longest opening night start of the Rich Hill era at UH, which officially began in 2022. Robello pitched six solid innings on Saturday, scattering six hits and one earned run to go with no walks and seven strikeouts.
On Sunday, Brody Martin-Grudzielanek kept the Bulldogs at bay with four innings in which he allowed just four hits and a walk to go with his three strikeouts. In the finale, Liam O'Brien, a Gonzaga transfer, tossed five shutout innings against his former team, allowing just two hits and two walks. O'Brien made it two times through the Gonzaga batting order despite dealing with arm inflammation.
"It was awesome," Hill said of his O'Brien's performance. "It's his first outing of the year. He came out just lights out. Super proud of Liam and very happy for him. Great fun."
Added associate head coach/pitching coach Keith Zuniga: "That had to have felt good for Liam. He's come such a long way from his days there, and he's just taking it one day at a time, one pitch at a time, and we just asked him to go out there and be himself."
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was Martin-Grudzielanek, a true freshman, earning a start. Martin-Grudzielanek flashed a mid-90s fastball and sharp slider throughout his start, throwing the vast majority of his pitches under duress in the Mānoa mist.
"I didn't start pitching until my senior year (of high school)," Martin-Grudzielanek said. "I was a late commit. (Hawai‘i) came to me and were all-in on me, so I was all in on them. It's great to be here. I'm loving it so far."
In total, UH pitchers had an ERA of 2.70, holding the Zags to a batting average of .247.
"You just ask guys to go out there and compete, pitch to pitch. They know that they don't need to go out there and be perfect," Zuniga said. "They just need to give us a chance. Pitch with good tempo, pitching the bottom half of the strike zone, and just win pitches. A lot of guys got their name called this weekend, seeing them actually take it to somebody else has been a long time coming."
Handling the pitching staff behind the plate was sophomore Jake Redding, a junior college transfer from Sierra College in California. He was also one of the team's offensive standouts, hitting .313 with three doubles.
"Getting the (starting) job here, I just put my head down. I knew I had to come in and prove myself," Redding said. "I wasn't given anything, so I just tried to do my thing, and the other catchers behind me, they're doing a great job. They're picking me up, and I wouldn't be here without them."
The Rainbow Warriors will return to action with a four-game home series against Wichita State that begins on Thursday.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
