ST. GEORGE, Utah—As usual, the long ball was a big part of a Hawaii Hilo softball game today when they took on Western Washington in the Dixie State Easton Classic at the Canyons Softball Complex.

But this time, it wasn't the Vulcans hitting the ball over the fence, it was the Vikings.

Western Washington used a three-run homer and a grand slam to outscore the Vulcans, 7-4. The Vikings used the grand slam to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning and added a three-run blast in the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie.

The Vulcans fell to 6-4 on the season with the loss, while Western Washington improved to 7-2 on the year.

UHH got the early lead in this one, using a Cristina Menjivar single, a Brinell Kaleikini walk and a sac bunt by Danielle Pulido to set the table for Maria Steadmon. She delivered with a two-run double to give the Vuls a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

That lead held behind the pitching of Billi Derleth until the bottom of the fourth. Two Viking singles and a walk put ducks on the pond for Jackie Lucido, and the freshman cleared the bases with a grand slam to give WWU a 4-2 lead.

The Vulcans would climb back in the top of the fifth when Kristen Ishii doubled, which was followed by Bailey Gaspar and Amanda Lara walks. Menjivar then rattled a two-run single and the game was knotted up at 4-4.

But the Vikings would catch up with reliever Leah Gonzales in the bottom half of the inning. Two singles and a three-run blast by Emily Benson provided WWU with the winning runs. UHH loaded the bases in the top of the sixth but couldn't score, and they went down in order in the seventh.

Menjivar was the only Vulcan with more than one hit (2-for-3, 2 RBI). Gaspar was walked twice, while Pulido, Steadmon and Ishii collected hits.

UH Hilo will be back at it bright and early on Saturday, taking on two more Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) teams. They will battle Montana State Billings at 10 a.m. MST and Central Washington at 12:30.