HILO, Hawai`i—Freshman
Dylan Spain threw a seven inning complete game shutout to help salvage a doubleheader split for host UH Hilo on Saturday night at Wong Stadium against Academy of Art.
Spain, from Honolulu's St. Louis High School, scattered six hits to pick up his first collegiate win (1-1), a 5-0 shutout over the Urban Knights. AAU won a wild, error-filled first game, 6-5.
The split keeps UH Hilo's Pacific West Conference record even at 2-2 and they are 2-4 overall. Academy of Art is also at .500 in conference play (3-3) and is now 7-12 on the year. The two teams will play single games on Sunday and Monday nights at 6 pm to wrap up the four-game series.
The Vulcans used a pair of doubles and three walks to jump out early on the Urban Knights in the nightcap under the lights.
Phillip Steering drove in the first run with a two-bagger and BJ Freitas knocked in two more later in the inning with a drive down the left field line.
Micah Carter would get into the double fun in the third inning, driving home Michael Suguro to make it 5-0. That would turn out to be more than enough for Spain, a 6-foot-6 hard throwing righthander. He struck out five Urban Knights and did not walk a batter.
Steering had two hits in the second game. Six other Vulcans had a hit apiece.
The opener began in nightmare-like fashion. The first five Urban Knight batters got on base via three base hits, a walk and an error. Another hit batter and error followed and before it was all said and done, four AAU runners had crossed the plate.
Meanwhile, Urban Knights ace Brett Bovee was cruising, allowing only one hit through the first four innings. But in the fifth, the Vulcans finally made some head way.
Jacob Grijalva worked a walk and Carter followed with a single. A
Marcus Calamese fielder's choice brought home Grijalva and Suguro later singled to plate Calamese to make it 4-2.
The Urban Knights added another unearned run in the sixth (5-2), but UHH battled right back in the bottom half of the inning, with some help from their visitors. A walk and three consecutive errors helped bring across two runners to make it a one-run game (5-4), despite not getting a hit. Bovee left in the sixth inning, giving up only two earned runs.
UHH would tie the game in the seventh on a double by Steering, the only extra base hit of the game (5-5). On the other side of the scorebook, the Vulcans got solid work out of the bullpen by
Chance Colson, who pitched 2.1 innings and allowed only two hits and no runs.
In the top of the ninth, with closer Deric Valoroso in the game for the Vulcans, a walk, a passed ball and a base hit put runners at the corners with no one out. Valoroso fanned the next batter to get an out on the board, but a delayed steal on the next play allowed the lead runner to score the go-ahead run to make it 6-5.
The Vulcans threatened in the ninth with a two-out rally, helped by a walk and an error, but a diving catch by the left fielder Izac Bauer ended the game.
Each team had four errors in the wild game. The Vulcans had just five hits, two of them by Steering. The Urban Knights had 10 base knocks, two each by Michael Maleski, Bauer, and Marciano Reichel. Alexander Kuisel pitched the final two innings without giving up a hit or run to get the win.
