HILO, Hawaii – Cristina Menjivar hit three home runs and drove in five runs in a PacWest softball split with Dominican University on the UH Hilo field.
 
The Penguins (4-13 overall, 2-4 PacWest) won the first game 6-3 while the Vulcans (17-6, 9-1) applied a 10-2 TKO in game two.
 
The junior first-baseman finished the day 4-for-6 at the plate with three homeruns, five RBI and five runs scored.
 
The Penguins led 5-1 in the first game when Menjivar connected on her first dinger. Mari Kawano led the inning off with a single. Menjivar then parked the ball over the center field fence for her second homerun of the season.
 
Bailey Gaspar was the only Vulcan to pair hits in the Vulcans' 8-hit performance in the game.
 
Billi Derleth (8-4) went the distance with an 11-hit showing in which she walked two and struck out one.
 
Menjivar homered in her first at bat in game two to spot the Vulcans a 1-0 lead.
 
The Vulcans strung together a trio of 3-run innings. RBI singles by Brandi Wilson, Amanda Lara and Chenoa Au gave the Vulcans a 4-0 lead in the third. After the Penguins posted two runs in the fourth, Menjivar tagged a two-run homer to get them back. Au followed a few batters later with an RBI single. The Vulcans then got an RBI walk by Gaspar and RBI singles by Wilson and Lara in the fifth.
 
Going 3-for-3 with two RBI in the game were Wilson and Au.
 
Danielle Wilson (8-2) picked up her eighth win of the season with a 6-hit, 2-strikeout performance over five innings.
 
The Vulcans next host Holy Names University in a noon PacWest twinbill on Saturday, March 12 on the UH Hilo softball field.
 
LINKS:
 
Game one – Dominican 6, UH Hilo 3
Game two – UH Hilo 10, Dominican 2