AZUSA, Calif.—Defending conference champion Azusa Pacific broke open a close game with a seven-run sixth inning to pull away from visiting Hawai`i Hilo on Thursday afternoon at the Cougar Baseball Complex, 10-2.

No. 20 nationally ranked APU and the Vulcans were locked up in a 3-2 contest until the seven-run, five-hit outburst. UH Hilo was unable to answer after that, falling to 10-12 on the season and they are now 8-7 in Pacific West Conference play. The Cougars improved to 17-9 on the year and to 7-2 in the PacWest.

Game two of the four-game series is set for Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific time.

The Vulcans opened the game with a double to left-center by Kyle Yamada, and they would score a run in the first and another in the second inning. But they would strand 11 runners in the ball game and wouldn't be able to push another run across the plate the rest of the afternoon.

Dylan Sugimoto had an RBI-single in the second inning, but the Cougars retaliated with home runs from Cole Kleszcz and Justin Gomez to take a 3-2 lead after three stanzas.

Other than that, Vulcan starter Kyle Alcorn avoided trouble until the fateful sixth. Three straight Cougar singles and a walk chased the sophomore lefty from the hill but APU kept the heat on against reliever Brandyn Lee-Lehano. A pair of two-run doubles followed and before the inning was mercifully over, the Cougars had scored seven times.

Neither team would score the rest of the way, but the damage had already been done by APU, who is ranked No. 3 in the west region and has won the last two PacWest Conference titles.

Yamada and RJ Romo had two hits for UH Hilo, who had nine base knocks in the game. Alcorn took the loss to fall to 2-3, while Cougar ace AJ Woodall went six innings to pick the win to move to 5-2.

After Friday's game, the two squads will wrap up the series with a Saturday doubleheader that begins at 9 am Pacific time.