ST. GEORGE, Utah—UH Hilo bashed out 13 hits under the lights against Northwest Nazarene at the Dixie Courtyard Classic on Friday, but the Nighthawks countered with five home runs to hold on for an 8-5 win at the Canyons Softball Complex.

NNU improved to 6-2 on the year, while the Vulcans dropped to 1-3. Earlier in the day, UH Hilo fell to Western Washington, 10-0.

Kimberly Olivas and Kenzie Fox had three hits each, and Kiarra Lincoln and Skylar Thomas had a pair, but the Vulcans had only one extra base hit on the day—a double by Thomas.

Meanwhile, the Nighthawks used five home runs from five different players to build a 6-1 lead. Emma Mulligan and Ivy Hommel hit back-to-back solo shots in the third, and Madison Felter and Nicole Zuevela added one-run roundtrippers in the fourth.

The Vulcans got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Chloe Domingo brought home Brinell Kaleikini with a sacrifice fly (4-1), but the Nighthawks went yard again in the fifth, this time via a two-run blast from Sidney Booth (6-1).

But the Vulcans battled back. Three consecutive singles in the fifth by Fox, Lincoln and Olivas loaded the bags for Markie Okamoto, who singled home a run. In the sixth, UHH did the same with base hits by Megan Johnson, Fox and Lincoln, with Olivas driving home a run with a single down the line. Okamoto walked home a run to pull the Vulcans within a single score, 6-5.

Northwest Nazarene answered though in the top of the seventh when Booth drilled a two-run triple. Booth also came into the pitcher's circle in the fifth to earn a save.

Thomas led off the seventh for the Vulcans with a double, but Booth put down the next three players in order to end the game.

UHH will wrap up tournament play on Saturday with a match-up against Colorado Mesa at 12:30 pm MT.