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AZUSA, Calif.—The Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans played 13 innings of nearly perfect softball on Friday at the Cougars Softball Complex.

Problem was, 17 innings were required as the Vulcans had to settle for a split, losing 5-4 in eight innings before bouncing back to take the nightcap, 8-7 in nine innings. UH Hilo is now 18-8 overall and 13-5 in the Pacific West Conference. Azusa Pacific is now 12-10 this year and 9-5 in conference action.

Two wild games had a similar script, with slightly different endings.

The Vulcans were one out away from winning the first game after pitcher Billi Derleth had pitched brilliantly. UH Hilo led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh before the junior from southern California got into her first bit of trouble. With two outs, a pinch hit double scored the first run off of Derleth, bringing in Leah Gonzales out of the pen.

Still, the Vulcans seemingly had the game in hand before a UHH error kept the inning alive. The Cougars would go on to piece together back-to-back RBI singles to tie the contest (4-4) and send the game into the eighth.
In extras, the Vulcans went down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth. In the bottom half, a two-base error put the first Cougar batter of the inning on second base. A sacrifice bunt and a walk-off single gave the Cougars a victory celebration and improbable win.

As crushing a defeat as that was, the Vulcans pulled things together in the second game, although things got very interesting AGAIN in the bottom of the seventh and insuing extra innings.

With Valerie Alvarado in the pitching circle, UH Hilo led 2-0 until a two-run Cougar home run tied things in the fifth. But the Vulcans pushed three runs across the plate in the sixth and added two more in the seventh.

In the sixth, Brinell Kaleikini hit a no-doubter over the fence to make it 3-2, and Maria Steadmon followed with an RBI-single. Rayla Jacobs-Kea brought home a third run with a sacrifice bunt. In the seventh, Isabelle Mejia led off the inning with a double and would later score on a single by Skylar Thomas. A walk to Shaye Simms with the bases loaded would give UHH a 7-2 lead heading into the bottom half.

Another miracle finish began in the bottom half for APU. A lead-off double, single and walk chased Alvarado from the game with the score 7-3. Gonzales came back in, and a wild pitch scored another Cougar (7-4), still with no one out. Gonzales then mixed singles and strikeouts (two of each) before a Emily Moran double scored the tying run to make it 7-7. A ground out ended the inning, and the teams headed to extra time again.

The Vulcans went quietly in the eight, and the Cougars put runners on second and third before Gonzales got the third out. In the top of the ninth, a one-out triple by Chloe Domingo sent the Vulcan third baseman to third base. She would score on a wild pitch, giving the Vulcans an 8-7 cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Gonzales stepped up and put the Cougars down in order, securing the win and avoiding a loss that might have been hard to recover from.  The junior bullpen ace took a loss and got the win on the day and is now 5-3.

The two weary squads will return to the field on Saturday for a doubleheader that begins at noon.