Hawaii Looks to Sweep Struggling Long Beach State in Big West Finale

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Interstat) — The Hawaii Warriors will aim for a series sweep when they face the Long Beach State Dirtbags in a Big West Conference matchup Sunday evening at Blair Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 72 degrees.

Hawaii (9-5, 2-0 Big West) has dominated the series opener, winning 11-1 on Friday. The Warriors’ offense was powered by third baseman Tate Shimao, who drove in four runs. The teams played a second game Saturday.

The Warriors have been led by a strong start from right-hander Isaiah Magdaleno. In Friday’s win, Magdaleno was dominant, throwing six hitless innings while allowing one earned run and striking out nine. In his last four starts, he is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings.

Long Beach State (4-13, 0-2) seeks to avoid the sweep and halt a difficult start to the season. The Dirtbags have lost 10 of their last 11 games. In Friday’s loss, third baseman Jake Evans provided a lone bright spot with a solo home run.

A player to watch for the Dirtbags is reliever Caleb Anderson, who took the loss Friday after allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Over his last 10 appearances, Anderson has a 7.71 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Hawaii 5, Long Beach State 2.

Following Sunday’s game, Hawaii travels to face UC Santa Barbara for a three-game series starting March 20. Long Beach State hosts a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount on Tuesday before a conference road series at Cal State Bakersfield beginning March 20.