The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are making a strong push for the Big West Tournament, and they did it in style on Saturday with a dominant 9-1 victory over UC Riverside at Les Murakami Stadium. In front of a sellout crowd of 2,584 fans, the 'Bows clinched the three-game series, improving to 23-19 overall and 12-11 in conference play. That keeps them firmly in fifth place, with the top five teams earning a spot in the Big West Tournament. For UC Riverside, the loss drops them to 14-31 and 9-14.

After Friday night's pitching gem—where Isaiah Magdaleno struck out 16 in a one-hitter and Mana Lau Kong drove in the only run—the 'Bows kept the momentum rolling. On Saturday, it was right-hander Hekili Robello's turn to shine. He allowed just one run and three hits over eight innings, shaking off a shaky first inning that saw him throw 27 pitches. From there, Robello settled in, retiring 11 straight batters at one point and finishing with 113 pitches (77 strikes), just one shy of his season high.

"First inning was a little shaky, but I just had to compete," said Robello, a Hilo High graduate who redshirted last season after transferring from Santa Rosa College. "I played freely. I was really focused on getting outs. That was the main thing."

Pitching coach Keith Zuniga praised Robello's ability to work his fastball in multiple directions. "He competed with a fastball he can move in, out, up and down," Zuniga said. While there was hope Robello could go the distance for a complete game—just the third under head coach Rich Hill in 152 games—his pitch count and a quick bottom of the eighth led to a smart decision to hand the ball to Ryan Inouye for the ninth.

Offensively, the story was Mana Lau Kong, whose freshman season just keeps getting better. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound slugger went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, including an RBI single, a two-run base hit, and a sacrifice fly. After hitting just .133 in his first 12 games, Lau Kong has caught fire, going 15-for-34 (.441) since then to raise his average to .313. "Just seeing the ball really well now and sticking to my approach," he said. "I'm getting my pitch and getting my swing off. I think it's been working fairly well."

Third baseman Tate Shimao also had a big day, going 3-for-4 with a home run. The 'Bows tied the game in the bottom of the first after Kamana Nahaku and Shimao drew walks, setting the stage for another impressive win. With the series already in hand, Hawaii will look to sweep on Sunday and keep their playoff push rolling.