Josh Slaats, Blair Walters and Lenny Linsky combined on a four-hitter to help Hawai‘i beat Air Force, 4-0, tonight to take a 2-0 lead in the four-game non-conference series before 2,516 at Les Murakami Stadium.

Slaats (2-0) returned to the mound for the first time since The Citadel series and went 5 1/3 innings, allowing no runs and three hits while striking out 10, doubling his career-high he had last season against Mississippi State. Walters added 2 2/3 scoreless and Linsky pitched a scoreless ninth for the Rainbows (9-9).
Alex Truesdale (1-3) pitched eight innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and eight hits while striking out a career-high 12 for the Falcons (5-14).
New UH men’s basketball coach Gib Arnold was introduced to the crowd at Les Murakami before the start of the second inning.
The Rainbows took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Collin Bennett doubled to left with one out and an out later, scored on Pi‘ikea Kitamura’s single to center.
Hawai‘i increased its lead to 2-0 in the fifth. With one out, Sean Montplaisir reached first on shortstop Matthew Roberts’ throwing error, went to third on Greg Garica’s single to right and scored when right fielder Garrett Custons’ bobbled the ball and allowed Garcia to take second.
The Rainbows added to their lead in the eighth. Garcia led off with a single to right and Kolten Wong homered to right-center to make it 4-0.