RIVERSIDE, Calif.—California Baptist laced 16 hits, including seven doubles to slug their way past Hawai`i Hilo on Wednesday night under the lights at James W. Totman Stadium, 11-4.
It was the first game of a four-match slate between the Lancers and Vulcans. The win improved CBU's record to 28-15 overall and to 19-10 in the Pacific West Conference. Hawai`i Hilo is now 8-21 this season and 8-19 in conference action.
Vulcan starter
Eric Vega was effective in the beginning, getting through the first inning in 1-2-3 fashion. But the Lancer bats got warmed up after that. CBU hit three doubles in the second inning, scoring twice, and then added four more runs in the third inning on three hits, including another two-bagger.
The Vulcans got on the board for the first time in the top of the fourth when
Kyle Yamada and
Phillip Steering singled, followed by an RBI-base hit from
Jacob Grijalva. A ground ball out off the bat of
Austin Forney brought home another run to make it 6-2, Lancers.
But California Baptist answered with two more runs in their half of the fourth, and then put the game out of reach with a three-run fifth inning. That finally chased Vega, who gamely ate up some innings for a taxed Vulcan pitching staff that used 11 pitchers in the recent four-game set with Point Loma.
Down 11-2, UH Hilo added two runs in the eighth inning when Steering led off with a double and scored on
Cole Nagamine's single up the middle. Later in the inning,
Byron Freitas doubled to bring home another run. But that would be all for the Vulcans, as they went quietly in the ninth inning.
Steering, the PWC's leading hitter (now at .440), went 2-for-4 with the double and scored twice for UHH.
Dylan Sugimoto and Grijalva also had two hits each.
Chance Colson was solid in relief for UHH in 2.2 innings of work, allowing just three hits and no runs.
Andrew Bernstein pitched 7.1 innings for the CBU to get the win, improving to 4-1 on the season. Ryan Williams had four hits for the Lancers, John Glenn drove in three runs, while Brian Ruhm and Tommy Bell each had two of CBU's seven doubles.
The two squads will square off again at 6 p.m. on Thursday night at Totman Stadium.
