HILO, Hawai`i--As they say, turnabout is fair play, especially between island rivals.

Hawai`i Hilo and Hawai`i Pacific took turns winning lopsided games on Friday night at Wong Stadium, with the Vulcans taking their 2019 season opener 10-3, while the Sharks bounced back to drub their hosts in the nightcap, 11-3.

Both games were Pacific West Conference openers, leaving the squads at 1-1 in league play. They were also the first games of the season for UH Hilo, while the Sharks are now 6-1 on the year.

The five-game series continues on Saturday at Wong Stadium with the same schedule--a doubleheader with a 3 pm first pitch.

The Vulcans jumped on the Sharks for eight runs in the third inning of opener to effectively seal the game early. UH Hilo had eight hits in the inning, including seven singles and a double by Jaryn Kanbara. The Vulcans would get 14 hits in the game, which helped them overcome four errors on the defensive side. 

Kobie Russell had three of those base knocks and scored three times. RJ Romo also had a trio of hits and drove in three runs, while Kyle Yamada added a pair of hits from his lead-off spot. 

Kyle Alcorn got the start on the hill and tossed 5.2 effective innings to get the win. He allowed just three hits and no earned runs. Travis Burleson pitched the final three innings, allowing a pair of runs.

The script was flipped in the second game. The Sharks scored a pair of runs in the second and third innings, and then blew things open with five runs in the fourth. That led to the departure of Vulcan ace Dylan Spain, who allowed six hits in 3.2 innings and three earned runs. 

Jake Selco hit a two-run homer for HPU in the second inning and finished the game with three RBI. The Vulcans had just five hits in the game against the Shark combination of Joshua Muneno and Tyler Van Stone, two of them by freshman Casey Yamauchi. Kanbara drove in two runs with a double.

The Vulcans and Sharks will play the two games on Saturday and a single encounter on Sunday at 2 pm. All three of these games will be consider non-conference games. The two clubs will play a four-game series next weekend on Oahu.