HILO, Hawai`i--Host Hawai`i Hilo won a pitcher's duel in the opener and Holy Names won the nightcap in a slugfest as the Hawks and Vulcans split a softball doubleheader on Friday afternoon at the UH Hilo Softball Field.

The two squads will meet again on Saturday in a doubleheader that starts at noon.

Isabelle Mejia pitched a one-hitter in the opener and Rayla Jacobs-Kea provided the offensive spark with a two-run single as the Vulcans escaped with a 2-1 win. In the second game, the Hawks erupted for eight runs in the first four innings and were one out away from a mercy rule verdict before the Vulcans roared back and made things very interesting before falling, 10-6.

It was UH Hilo's first loss in PacWest play (5-1), and they had won eight straight games. They are now 10-4 overall. Holy Names is 3-5 in conference action and 4-9 on the year.

Mejia was dominant in the first game, other than one pitch. She didn't allow a hit through 4.1 innings, giving her a streak of 9.1 innings of hitless work after Wednesday's five-inning no-hitter against Notre Dame de Namur. Kayla Hall not only ended that string with a solo home run in the top of the fifth, she gave her team a one-run lead as Chailey Stewart was also throwing blanks at the Vulcans, scattering four hits and not allowing a run to that point.

But in the bottom of the fifth, the Vulcans answered when Skyler Thomas led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a misplayed bunt. Kiarra Lincoln followed with a successful sacrifice, moving runners to second and third. Jacobs-Kea followed with a sharp single up the middle to chase home Thomas and Danielle Antolin to make it 2-1 Vulcans.

That's all Mejia would need, putting down six of the final seven batters she would face. The Hawks went down  1-2-3 in the seventh inning as Mejia improved to 5-0 on the season.

Thomas had two hits for the Vulcans on her birthday, and UHH had just six hits in the game against Stewart.

The second game was a completely different book. 

The game began with a great catch by Jacobs-Kea in centerfield to rob Brianna Morris of a home run. The game remained scoreless through two innings before everything came unglued for the Vulcans in the third.

An error helped open things up for the Hawks, who would go on to lace five hits and score six times before the nightmare inning was over. In the midst of that barrage was a three-run homer by Tailor Goods and an RBI-double by Rayah Davis. Holy Names would add two more runs in the fourth on a two-run shot by Davis, and now the Vulcans were in a danger zone of mercy ruled.

That was in part because of Synphony Hall of Holy Names was wheeling and dealing in the pitcher's circle for the Hawks, having given up nary a run and only three hits through four innings. But in the fifth, the Vulcans kept alive with Jacobs-Kea's RBI-single, relief pitcher Valerie Alvarado's run-scoring hit--in her first at-bat of the year and Mejia-RBI base hit. An error added another score to make it 8-4 heading into the sixth. 

Haighley Kissee singled in a run in the top half of the inning for the Hawks (9-4), but the Vulcans kept coming in the bottom half of the inning. After two strikeouts opened the sixth, Kiarra Lincoln singled and Maria Steadmon then launched a two-run shot over the left-centerfield fence to get two runs back (9-6). 

Valentina Fontes added more insurance with the fourth homer of the day for the Hawks in the top of the seventh (10-6), but Mejia raised UH Hilo hopes by leading off the bottom of the seventh with a double. But two outs later, Lincoln's drive to the centerfield fence was gathered in by Goods to end the game.

Holy Names had 13 hits against three Vulcan pitchers including three each by Davis and Kissee. UH Hilo had 11 hits in the contest, two each by Lincoln, Steadmon, Jacobs-Kea and Mejia. For the day, Jacobs-Kea had three RBI and Steadmon had two.