IRVINE, Calif.--The three major components that often mean the difference between winning and losing in baseball are hitting, pitching and fielding.

The Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans cornered the market today in the pitching category, but they didn't hit enough and their fielding hurt them during 2-0 and 3-2 doubleheader losses to Concordia at CU Field. The host Eagles improved to 5-4 in the Pacific West Conference with the wins and moved to 8-13 overall. The Vulcans, kicking off an eight-game road trip, fell to 3-5 in the PacWest and to 3-7 overall.

In the first game, UHH hurler Eric Vega gave up only four hits, two runs and had no walks in 7.1 innings. But Eagle starter Neil Lang outdid Vega, holding the Vulcan bats silent, allowing no runs and only five hits in eight innings. In the second game, Vulcan freshman Dylan Spain had another impressive outing, allowing only one earned run in 5.1 innings, but the Vulcan defense was charged with four errors and the offense could only push across two runs in the loss.

In the opener, the Vulcans had six hits but twice had runners thrown out attempting to steal and had another thrown out at home plate. UHH only advanced a runner to second base twice against Lang and had their best change to score in the eighth, his last inning. Michael Suguro started the rally with a two-out single, and Jonathan Segovia followed with a single to move Suguro to second. Dylan Sugimoto then reached base on an error, but on the same play Suguro tried to scored from third and was thrown out to end the inning. 

Concordia scored both of their runs in the eighth inning when Chris Martin and Ryan Land traded places after both hitting doubles, chasing Vega from the game. A single and a fielder's choice brought home the other run.

Lang got the win, with help in the ninth from Carpenter Pagget, who got the save. Vega was the hard-luck loser to fall to 1-1. Segovia had two of UHH's six hits. 

In the seven-inning nightcap, the Eagles scored first in the third inning without the need of a hit. Three Vulcan errors and a sacrifice bunt brought home the first run of the game. Through four innings, Spain allowed no earned runs and only one hit, and his teammates gave him the lead in the top of the fifth.

The Vulcans got things going with a two-out rally. Jacob Grijalva singled and was then chased home on B.J. Freitas' double down the leftfield line. Kyle Yamada followed with a two-bagger of his own to score Freitas, and the Vulcans were now ahead for the first time on the day. 2-1.

But the Eagles tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on another unearned run and a pair of hits. They added the game winner in the sixth when Jair Donovan led off the inning with a triple and then scored on Bailey Collins' single, the only earned run of the game against Spain. 

The Vulcans made things interesting in their last chance, when Sugimoto walked and Grijalva singled with no one out. Freitas moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt, but Pagget earned his second save of the day by getting a pop up and strikeout to end the game.

Alex Zalasky got the win on the mound for the Eagles, while Spain was tagged with the loss (1-2). Spain allowed five hits and struck out two, and did not allow a walk. He has yet to walk a batter this season.

Grijalva had two hits in the second game for UH Hilo. 

The Vulcans will continue the four-game series against Concordia with a single game on Sunday, start time is at noon. The series concludes on Monday.