Little ball paid off in a big way, finally, for Hawaii Hilo Tuesday night at Wong Stadium when it claimed a 7-5 victory in the fourth game of its Pacific West Conference series with Azusa Pacific.
Little ball paid off in a big way, finally, for Hawaii Hilo Tuesday night at Wong Stadium when it claimed a 7-5 victory in the fourth game of its Pacific West Conference series with Azusa Pacific.
In the process, the Vulcans (2-6 in conference, 3-7 overall), snapped a six-game losing streak and a three-game skid to the Cougars (3-1, 7-10), and managed to do it after spotting Azusa Pacific an early three-run lead.
The game becomes much simpler to play without errors and unlike the night before when the Vulcans wasted a 12-strikeout performance by Jordan Kurokawa, when they committed six errors, they made just one Tuesday and capitalized on 6 1/3 inning of relief from senior right-hander David Moody (2-2), who lowered his earned run average from 10.80 to a more respectable 6.97.
The Vulcans went through seven Azusa Pacific pitchers, managing 11 hits, the most since opening the season with a dozen against UH-Manoa, equalling the hit barrage they accumulated earlier against Concordia.
Phil Steering had three hits for UH Hilo, including a loud triple. Shortstop Edison Sakata had a base hit, scored a run and knocked in two runs while playing flawlessly in the field.
Azusa Pacific opened the scoring off starter Morgan West with three second-inning runs, accumulated after a single and one outs walks to the numbers eight and nine batters in the order, followed by a bases clearing double to left center by Cam Bennett who tried to stretch it into a triple but was thrown out at third.
The Vulcans got two of those back in the bottom of the second after Phil Steering and Nate Green each singled to lead off the inning, and Sakata reached on an infield hit that scored Steering and Green came on a strikeout that was misplayed at the plate.
Pablo O’Connor scored in the third after he doubled, stole third off West and came in on sacrifice fly, but Hawaii Hilo got two more in the bottom of the third to tie it at 4-4.
Jacob Grijalva singled to lead off the third, moved up on Edwin Stanberry’s bunt, went to third on a single from Steering and came in on Green’s second single of the game. Green later scored on Sean Nearhoof’s single.
Sakata gave the Vulcans the lead in the fourth when he walked, moved up on an error, was bunted over to third by Jonathan Segovia and came in on Jacob Grijalva’s ground ball out. Sachet drove in his second run of the night when his fly ball to right plated Green who led off with a single and went to third when Jaron Manago smacked another base hit for a 6-4 lead.
The Cougars made it 6-5 in there sixth on a double and single off David Moody, in relief of West.
Hawaii Hilo threatened to blow to game up in the seventh after Nearhoof opened the inning on first base after being hit by a pitch and came around on a base hit by Grijalva, but after a single, walk and an error, the inning ended when, with the bases loaded, Edwin Stanberry was caught on a called third strike that drew howls from the fans.
The Vulcans are off until Friday when they host Point Loma Nazarene for a double header starting at 4 p.m., with another twin bill Saturday at the same time.