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Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics

HAWAI'I HILO VULCANS ATHLETICS
Isabelle Mejia
2
Dixie State DX-SB 21-2, 7-2 PWC
4
Winner Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 15-7, 6-3 PWC
Dixie State DX-SB
21-2, 7-2 PWC
2
Final
4
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB
15-7, 6-3 PWC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dixie State DX-SB 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 7 0
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 3 1 0 0 0 0 X 4 6 0

W: Fernandez, Cyanne (12-3) L: Hazel, C. (8-2) S: Mejia, Isabelle (1)

6
Winner Dixie State DX-SB 22-2, 8-2 PWC
3
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 15-8, 6-4 PWC
Winner
Dixie State DX-SB
22-2, 8-2 PWC
6
Final
3
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB
15-8, 6-4 PWC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dixie State DX-SB 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 6 11 1
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 6 1

W: Barkwell, A. (5-0) L: Mejia, Isabelle (2-2)

Game Recap: Softball |

Vulcans get split with No. 3 Trailblazers

HILO, Hawai`i—Upset-minded Hawai`i Hilo led for 12 of the 14 innings of softball played on Saturday afternoon against No. 3 nationally ranked Dixie State.

But at the end of the day, a victory was tallied by each squad as the Vulcans won the opener 4-2 and the Trailblazers took the nightcap, 6-3.

UH Hilo is now 15-8 on the season and 6-4 in the Pacific West Conference, while Dixie State moves to 22-2 on the year and 8-2 in the PacWest.

Cyanne Fernandez got the win in the pitching circle in the first game, with some help from Isabelle Mejia, to improve to 12-3 on the year. In the second game, the Trailblazers roared back with two runs to tie the game in the sixth (3-3) and then Jessica Gonzalez hit a three-run shot in the top of the seventh to help her team salvage the split.

The Vulcans now head to the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif. (March 23-25), where they will play two teams from the GNAC and four from the CCAA over the three days.

Dixie State came to the Hawaiian islands with a 20-0 record earlier this week, but lost their first contest of the year to Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, 2-1. The Vulcans handed them their second loss of the season in the first game of Saturday's twinbill, and had the PacWest leaders on the ropes in the second contest.

In the opener, UH Hilo put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Mejia singled home a run, as did Maria Steadmon. In between those two RBI hits, the Vulcans worked starting pitcher Cambrie Hazel for a couple of walks, a hit batter and a whole lot of pitches. Before Hazel had gotten the third out, she had thrown 48 pitches in the inning.

UHH added another run in the second after a Danielle Antolin base hit, a Bailey Gaspar walk, a passed ball and a ground ball from Brinell Kaleikini chased Antolin across the plate. Dixie State answered in the top of third against Fernandez after Dani Bartholf singled and Kaitlyn Delange doubled her home to make the count 4-1.

It stayed that way until the Trailblazers scored in the fifth when Bailey Gaffin doubled home a run to cut the margin to two (4-2). DSU threatened again in the sixth with two outs, putting runners on first and second, but Mejia came out of the bullpen and fanned the next batter to end the inning.

Mejia set the Trailblazers down in the order in the seventh to clinch the win. Overall, she struck out three of the four batters that she faced.

Hazel took the loss, just her second of the season (8-2). Fernandez won her 12th game, scattering seven hits, allowing just one earned run, walking three and striking out two.  Steadmon had two of UHH's six hits. Kaitlyn Delange and Brenna Hinck had two hits each for DSU and Alexandria Melendez was effective out of the bullpen in four innings of work, giving up only two hits and no runs.

In the second game, Dixie State got on the board early against game two starter Mejia. Janessa Bassett singled, stole second and scored on Gaffin's single. But UH Hilo got the lead right back in the bottom half when Mari Kawano singled, went to third on Gaspar's double and then scored on Kaleikini's sacrifice fly. The Vulcans took the lead courtesy of a Trailblazer error, making the score 2-1.

Gaspar hit a deep shot over the left centerfield fence in the third inning, her eighth home run of the year, putting a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard. That's where the score stood heading into the top of the sixth with Mejia and DSU starter Alexis Barkwell matching zeros.

Kenzie Sawyer led off the sixth with a single, and Gonzalez followed with a bloop hit to right. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners over, pinch-hitter Riley Tyteca chased them home with a double to the left side, tying the game at 3-3.

UH Hilo went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, and Mejia got the first two Trailblazer batters out in the top of the seventh. But Gaffin kept DSU alive with a two-out single, and Sawyer did the same with a base hit. Gonzalez followed with a blast over the centerfield fence, chasing Mejia from the game. Leah Gonzales entered to get the final out.

That just left Barkwell to put the Vulcans down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning for the 6-3 win. She improved to 5-0 on the season.

Gonzalez led four Trailblazers with four hits each, while Antolin and Gaspar had the same for the Vulcans. Both of Gaspar's hits were for extra bases (double and home run).

With the split, California Baptist moved into the top slot of the PacWest (13-1). The Lancers only loss in conference play is to UH Hilo.
 
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