FRESNO, Calif. – UH-Hilo brought out the big bats Monday afternoon, scoring all but one of its ten total runs on homers as the Vulcans split with Fresno Pacific in a 8-3 loss and 7-1 victory in Pacific West Conference action.
Both teams combined to hit six total dingers in the series-opening doubleheader as the Vulcans came alive late in Game two to notch seven of their 11 hits.
UH-Hilo also had some shuffling of its lineups with sixth-year senior Kobie Russell making his first starts of the season at third base, prompting Kein Iwata to shift behind to left field. Nick Agacki had typically been the Vulcans’ game four starter on the mound, but the six-foot-eight junior got the nod for game two.
With the split, UH-Hilo remained at seventh in the PacWest Conference regular season standings as six conference games remain with teams vying for the top four post-season qualifying spots.
The Sunbirds got out to a 5-0 lead in game one after managing seven hits through the first three innings.
UH-Hilo got on the scoreboard with a lead-off homer by Casey Yamauchi in the top of the fourth inning.
FPU kept the pressure on after stringing together four more hits for three more runs over the next two innings.
In his first at-bat of the season, Russell notched the Vulcans’ first hit of the game with a line drive over the shortstop in the third inning before later following up with a two-out two-run blast over the right-field wall to make it a 7-3 score in the top of the fifth.
Perhaps the biggest scoring opportunity for the Vulcans came in the top of the eighth with back-to-back lead-off walks, but the threat was ended quickly on a 5U-3 double play followed by a full-count strikeout. UH-Hilo got away with just four hits in the early-afternoon affair.
FPU again got ahead early in the second game with a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning.
The score remained until the top of the fifth when the Vulcans’ bats started to come alive.
Consecutive singles from Cody Min and Vance Oshiro followed by a drawn walk by Blake Tweedt set up a thundering grand slam by Trent Jackson to make it a 4-1 game.
Vulcans kept it rolling in the sixth inning with a Joshua Fuentes lead-off single followed by JP Tilley’s first hit of the season on a two-run home run launched to right field.
Iwata finished the game batting 3 for 4 with a double and two putouts.
Joshua Fuentes got the start at shortstop, recording four assists and one putout along with a 6-4-3 double play.
Agacki got back on track with the seven-inning complete-game win with three strikeouts and just four hits allowed.
UH-Hilo moved to 11-12 in the PacWest (20-14 overall) as Fresno Pacific moved to a 10-7 record (16-16 overall).
The four-team PacWest Championships postseason tournament will be held May 10–12 in Fresno, California at FPU.
UH-Hilo came in at No. 7 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II West Regional rankings released this past Monday.
Last week, the Vulcans shared the seventh spot with Cal State Dominguez Hills but now hold sole possession of the No. 7 rank after the Toros dropped out of the top 10.
Fellow PacWest Conference schools Point Loma Nazarene and Azusa Pacific sit above at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, with Holy Names not far behind at No. 8.
Cal State San Bernardino remained at the top with Cal State Monterey Bay closing in at No. 2.