HONOLULU, Hawai`i--Oahu natives Kobie Russell and Jaryn Kanbara had three hits apiece and the Hawai`i HIlo Vulcans bashed out 14 hits total to help the visitors capture the first game of their series at Hawai`i Pacific on Friday night, 11-5.

It was a Pacific West Conference counter, pushing UH HIlo's record to 13-10 in league play and to an even .500 overall at 15-15. The Sharks dropped to 6-13 in the PacWest and to 19-16 on the year.

Dylan Spain worked around some UHH errors and eight hits to pick up the win, improving to 3-1 on the season. He pitched six innings and gave up just two runs. He struck out four Sharks in charting 90 pitches on the night. Workhorse Brandyn Lee-Lehano pitched the final three innings in his 17th appearance of the year. He allowed no runs and just two hits under the lights at Hans 'L Orange Park. He fanned four, including the final batter of the game.

The game featured plenty of runs from the very beginning. The Vulcans scored three runs in the top of the first, using three Shark errors ad an RBI-double from Russell. HPU did the same in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of two UHH errors and pushing three runs across to tie it at 3-3.

Both teams scored a run in the second inning. UHH used a single by Rustin Ho and an RBI-triple by Casey Yamauchi. Spain was then able to settle into a groove, while the Vulcans kept sending runners across the plate. They would add four more in the fourth on four hits and another HPU error (they would have four in the game).

Spain made it through six innings, leaving the game with an 8-5 lead. Kanbara and Russell would drive in more runs in the seventh and eighth innings and Lee-Lehano kept the Sharks off the scoreboard the rest of the way to pick up his third save of the season.

Russell and Kanbara enjoyed returning to their home island with three hits each. Russell, the left-handed hitting third baseman, also drove in a pair of runs. Ho had two hits, as did Mana Manago, with Manago's hits being of the extra-base variety with a double and triple. Kamalu Neal and Yamauchi both added two RBI.

The Vulcans and Sharks will play again on Saturday in a doubleheader that will start at 1 pm. The first game of the twinbill is a PacWest contest, the second is a non-conference game.