KAILUA-KONA, Hawai`i--Playing their first games in over two weeks, traveling across the island to do so, and to play a team on a 13-game winning streak---the odds seemed to be stacked against the Hawaii Hilo Vulcan softball team on Saturday afternoon.

But those were just obstacles for the Vulcans, who swept a Pacific West Conference opening doubleheader at Kealakehe High School over Biola by the scores of 2-0 and 4-3. In doing so, UH Hilo improved to 11-4 on the season and to 2-0 in conference play. League newcomer Biola saw their 13-game winning streak halted to drop to 17-5 on the year and to 6-2 in the PacWest.

Cyanne Fernandez picked up two wins in the pitching circle to improve to a perfect 9-0 on the season, and Leah Gonzales picked up a huge seven-out save to pace the Vulcans, who traveled to the other side of the Big Island because their own campus field was under water. 

"We were very anxious to play, and the fact that we hadn't been outside but once in the last two weeks showed a little bit," head coach Callen Perreira said. "But I thought we played terrific defense today (except for one inning), had excellent pitching and hit well enough to beat a team that had won 13 straight games."

Fernandez, a senior right-hander, threw a complete-game shutout in the opener. She scattered five hits, walked two and fanned three Eagles. She worked her way out of trouble in the first inning when Biola left runners on second and third, and she stranded a runner at third in the sixth. She put the Eagles down in order in the seventh.

Meanwhile on offense, the Vulcans left the bases loaded in the first inning, had runners on second and third in the second stanza, and left two more on base in the fifth. Biola's Terri Van Dagens was doing to the Vulcans what Fernandez was doing unto them. Until the bottom of the sixth. 

With ace Austin Paige now in the pitcher's circle, her pitch hit Brinell Kaleikini to lead off the inning. Markie Okamoto moved her over with a sacrifice bunt, and pinch-hitter Danielle Antolin then clutched up with a sharp single to left to bring in the first run of the game. Kiarra Lincoln added insurance with a single to right, giving Fernandez all the cushion she would need heading into the final inning.

Lincoln had two of UHH's six hits in the game, and the Vulcans did not commit an error.

Fernandez went right back out to the pitcher's circle and her team gave her a run in the first. Mari Kawano laced the first of her three hits and eventually came around to score after an Eagle error. After a Mejia double, Kaleikini doubled to bring in another run, and Antolin added a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. In the third, Isabelle Mejia doubled and came home on Skylar Thomas' RBI-single to make it 4-0.

In the top of fourth, Fernandez ran into a little trouble after a pair of Biola hits, but one of three terrific defensive relays by the Vulcans kept the damage to one run. A relay from Markie Okamoto to Kawano to Kaleikini at home plate kept the damage to one run (4-1). 

But in the top of the fifth, everything almost came undone for the Vulcans, uncharacteristically, on defense. Three errors in the inning, against just one hit, pushed two runs across the plate and chased Fernandez from the game (without allowing an earned run). In came Gonzales, who calmly retired seven straight Eagles to pick up her second save of the season.

Kawano had the three hits for the Vulcans, who had 10 in the contest--two each by Mejia and Kaleikini. But UH Hilo's defense (other than the three errors) was a huge part of the game. Three times they had relay throws to throw runners out at third base and home plate.

"Other than that one inning, our defense was really great," Perreira confirmed. "In games like this, that is huge. On offense, 16 hits against a team with good pitching was well done. Cyanne did a great job, and Leah shut them down when we really needed it."

Fernandez pitched 11.2 innings on the day, giving up just one earned run and nine hits. 

"Those are good wins, but it only gets tougher for us in the coming weeks," Perreira cautioned. "We have a murder's row coming in with Azusa Pacific, Concordia, California Baptist and Dixie State."

The Vulcans continue a long homestand on Thursday, hosting Azusa Pacific at the UH Hilo campus field. Start time is noon.