HILO, Hawai`i—Casey Yamauchi and Kyle Yamada had two hits and drove in a pair of runs each, and the host Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans took advantage of five Biola errors to win the opening baseball game of a four-game set on Thursday night at Wong Stadium, 7-4.

Dylan Spain pitched five innings to get the win, and John Kea closed out the ninth with his second save of the season. The Vulcans improved to 2-1 in the Pacific West Conference (4-6 overall), while Biola is now 0-1 in conference play and also 4-6 on the season.

Both teams used two-out rallies to score a pair of runs in the third inning. For the Eagles, a hit batter and a bloop single by Jerron Largusa put runners on the corners, and RJ Bates brought them both home with a double to left field.

The Vulcans returned the favor with two outs in the bottom half when Mikey Rita and Yamada reached base after getting hit. Yamauchi followed with a double over the centerfielder's head that chased both Vulcans home.

The fourth inning turned out to be the difference maker for the Vulcans. After another hit batter and a walk, Rita squeezed home the first run with a bunt to first. Yamada followed with a two-run single up the middle to plate two. Yamada moved to third and Yamauchi walked, and the freshman shortstop then stole second and Yamada scampered home on the throw to give the Vulcans a 6-2 lead.

The Eagles got two runs back in the top of the fifth when Joey Magro singled and Largusa doubled to lead off the inning. With two outs, an error led to both runs to make the count, 6-4.

Spain left at the top of the sixth with an apparent injury after pitching five innings and giving up two earned runs, four hits, a walk and he fanned three. Brandyn Lee-Lehano enter and pitched 2.1 solid innings, allowing only one hit and dancing around three walks and two hit batters. Kekai Mahiko came into get the last two outs of the eighth inning.

The Vulcans added insurance in the eighth after singles by Kamula Neal, Dylan Sugimoto and Yamada set the table. Sugimoto would eventually score on a throwing error, the fifth Biola miscue of the game.

In the ninth, closer John Kea worked around Laragusa's third hit of the night before inducing two ground balls and a fly out to end the game.

The two teams will play game two of the series on Friday night at 6 pm, and will wrap up play with a Saturday doubleheader at 3 pm.