Hawaii baseball shut out in series opener against Cal State Fullerton
In a pitching duel, Cal State Fullerton’s Mikiah Negrete out-paced Hawaii’s Isaiah Magdaleno in a 2-0 baseball victory at Les Murakami Stadium on Friday. A crowd of 2,625 saw the left-handed Negrete pitch a two-hitter and strike out a career-high 11 as the Titans won the opener of a three-game Big West series. The Titans improved to 12-13 and 6-4 in the Big West.
It was the third time this season an opponent pitched a complete game against the Rainbow Warriors, who dropped to 13-11 and 3-7. Negrete relied on a slider to complement a 91 mph fastball. He also threw off a gyrating, four-hitch motion that offered him a rhythmic approach.
“I kind of picked it up myself,” Negrete said of his delivery. “I didn’t really take it from anyone. It got me in my rhythm and helped me on the mound.
I’m happy with it. … It’s like a dance. It’s a dance for me and it helps with my rhythm, for sure.
” This was the third year in a row Negrete pitched a series-opener against the ’Bows. Last year, he surrendered nine hits — seven of them doubles — and eight runs in a loss at Fullerton. “I got punched in the face last year pretty hard,” Negrete said.