Azusa, Calif.--The UH Hilo softball team played two competitive games that resulted in two close losses to Azusa Pacific with identical scores (3-2).

The Cougars defended their home territory improving 15-12 and 9-5 in the PacWest Conference while the visiting Vulcans declined 10-8 and 8-6 PacWest.

The two teams will complete their four-game PacWest Conference series tomorrow, Mar. 22 at 1 and 3pm HST.

Game One (APU: 3, UHH: 2)
Azusa Pacific scored first, but the Vulcans one-upped them in the third inning (2-1). A Skylar Thomas single scored one run and then Taisha Bratton followed with a center field double that sent home another (2-1).

Azusa responded immediately with a matching run in the top of the fourth and the score remained locked for six innings (2-2). 

UHH left six runners on base after APU tied up the game, including bases loaded in the seventh inning with one out. 

The Cougars' made a strategic pitching change in the seventh that shut down the Vulcans. Katie Korstrom (APU) struck out back-to-back batters with the bases full to end the inning.  

APU eventually scored in the tenth, taking the walk-off win at home. The Cougars' Korstrom struck out a total of eight batters in the final four innings, which ended up being two Vulcans an inning. 

Alexis Lacy threw the complete game where she allowed 11 hits and three runs while retiring four batters. The Freshman threw well enough to win, but the lack of run support ended up getting the best of them.

Game Two (APU: 3, UHH: 2)
Azusa Pacific rolled with their first-game momentum, jumping to a 2-0 lead. The Cougars extended their lead in the third, with a right field homer (3-0).

The Vulcans broke through in the sixth inning when Alana Alvarez cranked a one-out double in her first at-bat of the game to score UHH's first run (3-1). Bratton traded places with Alvarez with a double in the same spot (3-2).

A deja vu moment occurred where Azusa Pacific made a pitching change that broke up UH Hilo's momentum. APU's Liz Phillips got back-to-back strikeouts to shut down the game-changing frame.

The Vulcans had one more shot in the seventh to extend the game, but a 1-2-3 inning by Phillips (APU) cemented the score in Azusa Pacific's favor 3-2.

Three pitchers went in for the Vulcans including starter Sara Bhatt (2.1 IP), Malia Risdall (1.2 IP), and Tehani Seto (2 IP).