SAND ISLAND PARK, Hawai`i--UH Hilo won their eighth straight game on Friday afternoon against BYU-Hawaii, 11-1, but were just one out away from seeing the string come to a close against the Seasiders at Sand Island Park.

Trailing 5-2 with two outs in the top of the seventh, the Vulcans rallied to tie the game and then one inning later saw the contest come to a halt because of darkness. The 5-5 contest could be resumed tomorrow when the two teams are scheduled to play another doubleheader, but there wasn't an official word on that potential on Friday night.

With one official game in the books, the Vulcans are now 22-19 on the season and are 13-12 in the Pacific West Conference and still on a eight-game winning streak. BYU-Hawaii is 10-25 overall and 7-16 in PacWest play.

The Vulcans were swinging hot bats in the first game, putting a mercy rule verdict on the Seasiders. The visitors got things started right away with a Kristen Ishii single, a Mari Kawano base hit, an error and a Cristina Menjivar sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. 

UH Hilo then broke open the game in the second after Bailey Gaspar drove in two runs with a double and a few batters later, Billi Derleth led four runners across the plate with a grand slam home run, her fourth round tripper of the year. In the fourth inning, Gaspar added another double and Kawano had an RBI-single to make it 9-0. The Seasiders finally got on the board in the bottom of the third, but the Vulcans answered in the fourth with a Danielle Pulido single and a run-scoring two-bagger by Maria Steadmon. 

Hawai`i Hilo had 10 hits in the shortened game, two each by Gaspar (two doubles), Kawano, Derleth (four RBI) and Pulido. Leah Gonzales was the fortunate pitcher with all of the run support, improving to 9-5 on the season after pitching five innings and scattering seven hits, one earned  run, one walk and three strikeouts.

In the halted second game, UHH got on the board first when pitcher Derleth drove home Ishii with a single to make it 1-0. But BYU-H scored three runs in the third inning, fueled in part by a Katie Didonna home run. The Vulcans got one run back in the top of the fourth when Pulido doubled and later came home on a throwing error.

The Seasiders scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning on three hits, chasing Derleth from the game and bringing in Cyanne Fernandez. Fernandez put out the fire, but the Vulcans couldn't get anything going in the next two innings and a half against Taiana Williamson.

It looked like a doubleheader split in the top of the seventh, as Williamson got two quick outs and was just one pitch away from the win. But Menjivar kept things going with a double, and Fernandez helped herself with a single. Pulido followed with a walk, and Kacie Freudenberger drew a walk to bring home the first run (5-3). Freshman drama queen (in a good way) Brinell Kaleikini added to her clutch reputation by drilling a two-run double to tie the game. She almost drove in the potential game winner for the third weekend in a row, but Freudenberger was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Both teams went down in order in their next two at-bats. BYU-H doubled in the eighth, but Fernandez got out of the jam and the game was called.

Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for noon and it will be the final times that the Seasiders and Vulcans square off in softball, as BYU-Hawaii is cutting their athletic program at the end of the 2016-17 year.