Hawai'i cashed in on New Mexico State's ineffective pitching in an 8-3 win to earn at least a split of the four-game Western Athletic Conference baseball series.

A Les Murakami Stadium crowd of 1,336 watched the Rainbows (15-20 overall, 7-7 WAC) send 10 batters to the plate in a six-run fourth inning that helped starter Nick Rhodes and reliever Matt Daly combine on a five-hitter against the Aggies (15-18, 4-6), who have been held to five runs in the first two games after averaging nearly 10 runs per game entering the series.

The Rainbows, who are in sole possession of fourth place in the WAC, will try to win their second consecutive series with today's 1:05 p.m. doubleheader.

"It definitely feels good to go up two games," UH senior second baseman Jon Hee said. "But we still have to come out and compete all 18 innings because this team (NMSU) can hit."

Rhodes (2-4) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. He was gassed in the sixth after 95 pitches. After giving up Chris Auten's second RBI single of the game, he retired Tyler Hardt on a fly to center. That's when UH coach Mike Trapasso pulled him for Daly, who made it interesting by walking two batters, the second with the bases loaded that plated a run before ending the inning with a strikeout. But he settled down, retiring nine of the last 10 batters he faced to notch his first save by virtue of his 3 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.

"He was done," Trapasso said of pulling Rhodes at the time with UH leading 7-2. "I was glad he got the out. I thought that was a big out for him because he just lost it. He wasn't throwing with any velocity or with any command. To get that first out was big for him and big for us."

Trapasso wasn't happy with the two walks Daly issued in the inning, but was pleased that he settled and was able to finish the game without having to dig into the bullpen with a doubleheader coming up today.

"He continues to struggle," Trapasso said of Daly. "It's hurt us in the past and it will hurt us in the future. But what was big was he was able to find it enough to finish the game, which was big and he deserves credit for finishing the game, putting up three zeroes and saving the bullpen."

Daly said he struggled with command when he entered the game. He fell behind 3-0 on the first batter he faced in the seventh, but came back to strike him out. From then, he started getting ahead of the batters.

"The fastball started working," he said. "I started getting ahead of guys and when I was ahead, I threw the off-speed for strikes as well. That was the key. If I can get ahead, I can throw every pitch and that way it makes it a lot tougher on them and a lot easier on me."

Meanwhile, Aggies' starter Sebastian Vendette (0-3) labored with five walks and two hit batsmen, giving up seven runs and eight hits in four innings.

The Aggies jumped on Rhodes in the first when Joseph Scaperotta doubled with one out and scored on Auten's single.

But the Rainbows got the run back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Brandon Haislet to tie it at 1.

Vendette's troubles haunted him in UH's six-run fourth, when a single by Greg Garcia and successive hit batsmen to Landon Hernandez and Sean Montplaisir loaded the bases to set up Derek DuPree's sacrifice fly to right to break the tie. With runners at first and second, Hernandez broke with Vendette's first pitch to Hee, who lined a single to left that scored Hernandez easily as Montplaisir stopped at second. It was really a broken play, all parties said. Hernandez said he thought the hit-and-run was on, but it wasn't. Hee said he swung to protect Hernandez.

After Haislet's ground out to third advanced the runners, Jeff Van Doornum walked to load the bases. Kevin Macdonald's two-run single was followed by Vinnie Catricala's two-run double to make it 7-1.

The Aggies got two in the sixth, but UH got one of the runs back in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an error by the Aggies. Catricala reached on a two-base throwing error by second baseman Bryan Marquez. That was followed by a walk to Garcia by Kyle McFadden and a hit batsman to Hernandez to load the bases. Frankie Duran replaced McFadden after running a 2-0 count on Montplaisir, who flied out to shallow left. The Aggies' fielding woes continued when shortstop Richard Stout dropped DuPree's pop up behind second. Although Stout was able to force the runner out by stepping on second base, Catricala was able to score on what was essentially a fielder's choice to make it 8-3.

The Rainbows have yet to sweep a doubleheader this season. They have split two and been swept in two others.

Trapasso said Josh Slaats will start today's opener with the second game's starter to be determined. All relievers are available except for Daly, who threw 59 pitches.