TURLOCK, Calif.--San Francisco State rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to plant a 4-3 loss on Hawai`i Hilo in the final game for both teams at the annual Tournament of Champions at the Pedretti Sports Complex in Turlock.
UH Hilo finished the tournament with a 2-3 record, all against teams from the CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Association). The Vulcans are now 14-17 overall. The Gators, 16-21, also ended the three-day classic at 2-3.
The Vulcans had seven hits in the game, all of them singles.
Chloe Domingo paced her team with two of those hits, scored a run and had an RBI.
The Gators scored in the first inning, but the Vulcans countered with a pair of runs in the second. UHH had four hits in the inning, with
Sarah Zuniga singling home Domingo (who had singled) and
Angel Prewitt doing the same for
Nikki Zielinski. The Vulcans would add another run in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead when Domingo laced an RBI-base knock.
But the UHH offense would go cold after that against Gator starter Kaitlyn Maddux, who held the Vulcans hitless in innings 4-5-6. Meanwhile San Francisco State bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the third on three hits (3-3) to tie the contest.
Things would unravel a bit for UHH in the fifth when SFS scored the go-ahead run without the benefit of a hit. A walk and three Vulcan errors led to the plate crossing, making the count 4-3.
The Vulcans made one last push in the top of the seventh.
Mari Kimoto led off with a single, and a walk and a Gator error loaded the bases with no outs. But Maddux buckled down and induced a strikeout and a ground ball double play to end the game.Â
Malia Risdall was the tough luck loser in the pitcher's circle for UHH, despite not giving up an earned run in relief.
UH Hilo, which has been on the road since March 21, returns home to rest up and prepare for a four-game series in Hilo against Academy of Art, April 11-12.Â
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