The University of Hawaii baseball team may have dropped a game and a series over the weekend, but they're still holding strong in the playoff race. The Rainbow Warriors fell 3-1 to UC Davis at Dobbins Stadium, yet their position for a Big West Tournament berth remains unchanged—a silver lining in an otherwise tough outing.

The game was a nail-biter until the sixth inning, when UC Davis shortstop Elijah McNeal broke a 1-1 tie with a double that brought home the go-ahead run. Catcher Ryan Lee added an RBI single for insurance, sealing the Aggies' victory and keeping their own tournament hopes alive. It was a bittersweet moment for UC Davis, as Sunday marked their final home game as a Big West member—both programs are moving to the Mountain West on July 1.

For Hawaii, the math is simple: they control their own destiny. Entering Sunday tied with Cal State Fullerton for fourth place at 14-13 in conference play, the Rainbow Warriors got a boost when Fullerton fell to Cal Poly. That leaves both teams sitting two games ahead of UC Irvine, who lost to UC Riverside. The 'Bows now head into their final regular-season series against Cal State Northridge needing just one win in three games to clinch a tournament spot—and they hold the tiebreaker over both Fullerton and Irvine.

Offensively, Hawaii showed early promise. Tate Shimao singled home Noah Rodriguez in the third inning to stake the 'Bows to a 1-0 lead. But missed opportunities haunted them the rest of the way. They grounded into double plays in the sixth and seventh innings, and in a crucial fifth-inning moment, a pitch bounced off catcher Ryan Lee's mitt. Lee quickly retrieved the ball and fired to pitcher Braydon Wooldridge, who tagged out Rodriguez at the plate—a defensive gem that snuffed out a potential rally.

It's not the prettiest path, but for Hawaii, it's one that keeps their postseason dreams alive. With a series win this week, they'll punch their ticket to the Big West Tournament. All eyes are on Northridge.