Callen Perreira will take a help wanted sign with him Monday to UH-Hilo softball practice, but he’s only looking to fill a part-time position.
Isabelle Mejia has aced her job requirements.
The senior right-hander, who has allowed just one earned run in her past 25 innings pitched, has become the constant in the Vulcans’ winning equation of late, while one of the variables for UHH on Saturday was third baseman Chloe Domingo.
“The girls just grinded out both games, showing a lot of heart and emotion,” Perreira said after UHH swept Holy Names 3-0 and 7-5 to improve to 7-1 in Pacific West Conference play.
Mejia (6-0) fired a four-hit shutout in the opener, but the Vuls found themselves all knotted up in the second game until Domingo doubled to deep left to open the bottom of the sixth and scored the go-ahead run when Kiarra Lincoln, the next batter, tripled. Lincoln came in on Maria Steadmon’s hit to right.
Filling in for Danielle Antolin, Domingo, a freshman from Campbell High (Oahu), also doubled in a run in the fourth.
“Chloe came off the bench and showed a lot of confidence,” Perreira said.
The Vuls (12-4) close out a 12-game homestand with doubleheaders Tuesday and Wednesday against Dominican (3-4, 2-4), and they have every reason to feel confident in games started by Mejia, who walked just one batter and struck out five in lowering her ERA to 1.50.
“We need others to help as well as far as pitchers,” Perreira said.
The veteran coach said he doesn’t believe in trotting out a hot pitcher in both ends of a doubleheader, at least not at this stage of the season.
“You’re putting a lot of stress on your pitcher,” he said.
Besides, Perreira thinks he has candidates for the second job.
Junior transfer Valerie Alvarado (2-2) tossed her second complete game of the season Saturday against Holy Names, allowing 10 hits with two walks and a strikeout. Mejia backed her with a two-run double, and Rayla Jacobs-Kea, Steadmon and Lincoln each had two hits. Jacobs-Kea, a Kamehameha-Kapalama alum, has sparked the lineup for the No. 3 hole and is batting .380, second on the team behind Steadmon (.400).
Leah Gonzales didn’t pitch Saturday after a rare rough patch Friday in a loss to Holy Names. The junior also sports a sparkling 1.50 ERA, but Perreira prefers to use Gonzales in relief to throw off batters’ timing.
Billi Derleth (1-0, 2.90 ERA) has pitched twice during the homestand, making one start.
The four pitchers have combined to strike out only 74 batters in 108 innings, putting an onus UHH’s defense.
Perreira said that was one area he’d tinker with in practice Monday, but other than that “we’re just going to keep on doing what we’re doing.”
