The Rainbow Warriors smacked four home runs — two by right fielder Jared Quandt — overpower UC Riverside 11-3 today at Les Murkami Stadium.
A crowd of 1,757 saw the ‘Bows win their 11th in a row, the NCAA’s longest active streak, to improve to 32-15 overall and 15-9 in the Big West. The Highlanders fell to 15-31 and 5.19.
The bottom third of the lineup — designated hitter Itsuki Takemoto, Quandt and third baseman Elijah Ickes — drove in nine of the ‘Bows’ runs.
Takemoto, a two-way player from Japan, made his first start as a hitter in this freshman season. Takemoto went 2-for-4, scored two runs and drove in two more.
“It was so fun, so fun,” Takemoto said.
Ickes’ lone hit was his first home run of the season, a three-run drive to left.
Quandt singled and came around to score in the second inning, hit a two-run double in the third, a homer to open the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth. “When I hit that last one,” Quandt said, “I was like, ‘if I hit the wall, cycle.’ You never complain about the ball over the fence.”
Shortstop Jordan Donahue also pulled a drive over the fence in right-center for his second home run of the season.
Harrison Bodendorf allowed two hits and a run in five innings to earn the victory, improving to 4-3.
The ‘Bows depart Wednesday ahead of their final road trip of the regular season, a three-game series against Long Beach State.
