HILO, Hawai`i—UH Hilo worked around four errors and a rain delay to open their 2020 baseball campaign with a win, topping visiting Hawaii Pacific 6-3.

Jaryn Kanbara hit the go-ahead home run in a three-run sixth inning, Christian Sadler pitched four innings of shutout baseball to get the win and John Kea closed the door with a three-strikeout save to give UH Hilo a 1-0 start in Pacific West Conference play.

The Vulcans and Sharks will continue this four-game series with a Saturday doubleheader (3 pm) and a Sunday single game at 2 pm. The first game of Saturday's game will be a conference counter, while the other two games will serve as non-conference contests.

UH Hilo pitching allowed only two earned runs under the lights. Sadler subbed for starter Kyle Alcorn, allowing only one hit in four innings of work. He didn't give up an earned run, walked one and fanned four. Brandyn Lee-Lehano struck out three in one inning, and Kea picked up save number one with a perfect ninth.

In all, the Vulcan pitching committee struck out 14 Shark batters.

The teams traded single runs through the first five and a half innings, before the Vulcans put a three-spot on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Kanbara homered, and the Vulcans scored two more runs via HPU errors. UHH would add another run in the sixth to account for the 6-3 final.

Rustin Ho had three hits in his senior season debut (3-for-5) with a double. Lawson Faria also had two hits for the Vulcans, who had eight in the game. Braxton Wehrle was the only Hawaii Pacific player with two hits (2-for-5), including a double.