You can spot the University of Hawaii at Hilo softball team from a distance at the start of the Pacific West Conference season. They will be the ones with the target on their backs. ADVERTISING You can spot the University
You can spot the University of Hawaii at Hilo softball team from a distance at the start of the Pacific West Conference season. They will be the ones with the target on their backs.
That kind of identification comes with a 4-0 jump in conference play, which the Vulcans realized Saturday after 12-0 and 9-1 wins over BYU-Hawaii. UHH has now won eight in a row, the longest win streak in the PacWest. In the first four conference games, Hilo outscored the Seasiders 34-3.
“I just talked to them about that,” Vulcans coach Peejay Brun said of being the target for the rest of the conference. “I don’t mind it all, because it means you’re playing well, you’re doing your job and that’s always been our goal.
“The true test of how good a team is is how it plays when it has that target on their backs, how you can block out all the stats and everything else and just focus in on the job in front of you,” she said. “That’s our next challenge.”
It was lopsided both days and the statistical edge was big for the Vulcans who batted .485 while holding BYU-Hawaii to a .128 average. Hilo had an advantage in hits 49-19, including 11 doubles and three home runs.
“We always approach games with the thought we’re playing a great team,” said BYU-Hawaii coach Alexandra Shamo, “and it was clear, they’re a real good team, they came in ready to hit us and they did, they’re batters took it to us.”
The first game was an extension of the strong early season work by freshman pitcher Billi Derleth (5-3), who allowed two hits and walked just one in her five innings of work. The shutout lowered her earned run average to 2.46. But in her last 22 innings, starting with a seven-inning victory over Western New Mexico on Feb. 13, Derleth has allowed just one earned run with a shiny 0.31 ERA.
The first game had a feel of an early ending when the Vulcans sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored five runs on seven hits, including back-to-back doubles to the first two hitters in the lineup, junior shortstop Victoria Garcia and sophomore Mari Kawano.
Junior second baseman Amanda Lara led the hit parade with a sacrifice fly that scored a run in the first, a two-run double in the third and a home run to center field that scored two more in the fourth. She was 2-for- 2 with two runs scored and 5 RBI.
Junior pitcher Danielle Wilson (6-2), recovered from a shaky start Friday with six innings Saturday, surrendering just one run in the mercy rule-shortened six inning game.
“She told us before the game that (Friday) was on her, it was behind and she was ready to go,” said catcher Danielle Pulido. “We knew they had trouble hitting the inside pitch so we kept jamming them in there and they kept popping it up. It’s just what (Brun) said would happen.”
Pulido made some things happen herself, going 5-for-7 with 5 runs batted in and 2 runs scored. She was in the same company with shortstop Victoria Garcia who was 5-for-7 with 2 RBI and 5 runs scored.
“As a team, we showed up from the get-go,” Garcia said. “We carried our energy over (from Friday) and just kept it going. This is the mindset we have to keep all season, it was a great way to start.”
Great, but not quite what Brun was hoping for.
The Vulcans went the first three games without an error, but had three in the last game.
“That’s too many for me,” Brun said, “and the thing about it is that a couple of them were plays that we really should make all the time, not just most of the time, but that’s something we need to get better in, and stay better.”
The Vulcans are off all week until Saturday and Sunday when they host Notre Dame de Namur in doubleheaders, both starting at noon.
