Freshman Brandyn Lee-Lahano got the ball rolling for UH-Hilo’s pitching staff, and the momentum only picked up from there.
Freshman Brandyn Lee-Lahano got the ball rolling for UH-Hilo’s pitching staff, and the momentum only picked up from there.
The Vulcans used five pitchers Wednesday night to slow Chuo University in a 2-1 exhibition victory in front of an announced crowd of 975 fans at Wong Stadium.
Chuo, which won the Japan equivalent of the college world series in 2016, won Tuesday’s game 7-3.
Lee-Lahano, a Kamehameha grad, tossed the first three frames, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Chuo’s Itoshi Kinoshita allowed just one hit through the first three innings.
Chuo scratched across a run in the fourth. Tatsuya Ganryu led off the stanza with a double. A few batters later, Takumi Tomiyama brought home Kengo Mamiya (fielder’s choice) with a single to make it 1-0.
But the Vulcans would answer in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Philip Steering singled and Jaron Manago was hit by a pitch. One batter later, after Steering was forced out at third, Cole Nagamine singled to bring home Manago with the tying run.
Steering had three hits in four trips to the plate, while Nagamine went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Kinoshita pitched six innings, allowing just the one run. For the Vulcans, Alec Telles entered in the fourth and gave up just the one run through the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, with one out, Luke Van Artsen tripled down the left field line off of Kohei Ozawa. Edwin Stanberry then lifted a fly to left and Van Artsen slid in home safely just ahead of the throw to give the Vulcans the go-ahead run.
Deric Valoroso Jr. kept Chuo scoreless in the eighth, setting up Kamalu Kamoku to close out an interesting ninth inning. A walk, a sacrifice bunt and an error put runners at first and third with one out. But Kamoku induced a pop out and fanned the final Chuo batter of the game to get the save.
Ganryu and Tomiyama had two hits apiece for Chuo.
UH-Hilo will open Pacific West Conference play Saturday with a doubleheader against Hawaii Pacific at Wong Stadium.