It’s a word you haven’t heard around Hawaii Hilo baseball for a while, no doubt longer than coach Kallen Miyataki would care too recall, but today, it’s out there. ADVERTISING It’s a word you haven’t heard around Hawaii Hilo baseball
It’s a word you haven’t heard around Hawaii Hilo baseball for a while, no doubt longer than coach Kallen Miyataki would care too recall, but today, it’s out there.
The Vulcans (4-13 overall, 4-11 in the Pacific west Conference), wrap up a four-game Pacific West Conference series against Holy Names (6-24, 3-14), today starting at noon at Wong Stadium with an opportunity to sweep the last place Hawks.
That rare opportunity was created Friday night when the Vulcans score three times each in the first, fifth and eighth innings to knock off Holy Names 9-7 for the second straight win in the series.
Kamalu Kamoku (1-0), got the win, in relief of starter Dylan Spain, Deric Valoroso Jr., came out of the bullpen in the ninth to get the save, his second of the season.
Spain went the first six innings and didn’t pitch poorly, with the notable exception of five bases on balls that hastened his exit. He struck out four and gave up seven hits.
Cole Nagamine did the heavy lifting at the plate with a 2-for-4 night that included three runs batted in and a run scored.
Hawaii Hilo was all set for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth with No. 9 batter Jonathan Segovia leading off, then up to the top of the order. Segovia double to left centerfield, brining on reliever Gunnar David to face the top of the order.
Dylan Sugimoto dropped a well-placed bunt down the third base line, David picked it up and thought about throwing to third, then whirled and threw lat to first, Sugimoto beating the toss for a bunt single. Kyle Yamada lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Segovia and with first base open, the Hawks decided to walk Phil Steering, UHH’s top hitter.
Kamoku, who had just come in to pitch in the top of the inning, struck out and then Nagamine drove a ball to the base of the right field fence, scoring both runners, but he tried to stretch the double into a triple and was thrown out at third, but it was 9-6, matching the Vulcans biggest lead of the game.
The Vulcans broke out early for the first time in a while when the bottom of the first began with five straight singles to start the Hawaii Hilo attack. Steering’s hit to left scored Sugimoto, Kamoku’s hit scored Kyle Yamada and Nagamine got the third RBI, but the issue was that the bases were left loaded for a team that needs all the runs it can accumulate.
A base on balls in front of a double and two singles got the Hawks two runs in the second, but UHH had another opportunity for a big inning in the bottom of the inning with two walks and a single to load the bases with only one out, but a strikeout and a fly ball to center ended that threat and left the Vulcans having stranded six runners on base in the first two innings.
Holy Names took the lead for the first time with three runs in the fourth on a combination of two walks, an error and two hits for a 5-3 lead, then UHH gathered itself and came back to retake the lead in the fifth.
The Vulcans regained their lead thanks to two hit batsmen, a wild pitch that scored a runner from third and a run scoring single by Jonathan Segovia and an infield out that plated catcher Aalona Amimoto, who had reached on a base hit.
It was 6-5 Vulcans after five and Spain was back on top, if not dominating the HNU lineup.
He started with an out in the sixth, then gave up a single and walked the No. 8 batter, Ryan Fujinaga before starting out Alex Denobriga, the No. 9 batter, with two balls. That prompted a visit to the mound from Miyataki and Spain responded with two strikes before losing concentration on the baserunners as the Hawks pulled a double steal on ball three, then Spain issued a walk to load the bases, still with only one out.
Leadoff batter Jordan Zaragosa drilled a shot to leftfield, scoring a run, but Fujinaga was thrown out at the plate for the second out. Spain got the final out on a ground ball, but the game was tied again, 6-6.
Notes: Phil Steering’s first inning single extended his hit streak to 11 games. He also leads the team with six multi-hit games… . The Vulcans improved their home record to 5-3 in conference play… . The 8th and 9th batters in the HNU lineup were walked four times by UHH pitching.
