HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Hilo softball team split with Saint Martin's after marching by for an 8-2 win before falling in a narrow 4-3 affair Saturday afternoon at Sand Island Park.
Trinity Favela and Lexie Tilton each knocked three hits and combined for five total runs scored. While Tilton only had two balls hit her way in left field, Favela was busy at second base with a total of six putouts and 10 defensive assists.
Saint Martin's Abby Runyon took the loss after starting the first game in the pitching circle before earning the win in the latter contest after entering in the fifth inning.
GAME 1: SAINT MARTIN'S 2, HAWAI'I HILO 8
- Dyoni Garcia drove in three runs on two hits, including the game-winning hit in the fifth inning with a de facto two-run inside-the-park home run as she tripled to the right-field corner before coming across the plate with an error on the relay throw.
- The Vulcans added another run in the bottom frame with four drawn walks, then Garcia added two more RBI the following inning with a double to left field. Brandee Chinen doubled down the left field line to score Garcia for the final arithmetic of 8-2.
- Earlier, the Vulcans got on the scoreboard with a wild pitch to cap three free runners put on by two walks and a hit-batsmen by the SMU's Runyon.
- Alexis Lacy (1-3) got her first win of the season, going the distance in the pitching circle and giving up just one earned run and allowing two walks and six hits.
- Haley Agena led the Saints at the plate batting 2 for 3 with an RBI and a double.
GAME 2: SAINT MARTIN'S 4, HAWAI'I HILO 3
- The second game once again saw the Saints take a 2-0 lead before the Vulcans evened the score, this time in the bottom of the fourth with Chloe Domingo and Klara Cejkova-Kolaci knocking back-to-back two-out RBI singles to score Tilton and Favela, who both reached base earlier on base knocks.
- Hawai'i Hilo again capitalized on a Saint Martin's miscue as an overthrown ball down to second base on a Tilton steal attempt allowed Lana Kline to score from third for a one-run lead.
- In the sixth inning, a lead-off walk and a Vulcans defensive error on the proceeding sacrifice bunt allowed Saint Martin's to jump ahead with an RBI double and an unearned RBI groundout to give the Saints the game-winning runs.
WHAT'S NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 2-5 overall (0-0 Pacific West Conference) while Saint Martin's moved to a 4-3 record (0-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference).
The Vulcans will take on Western Washington (5-4 overall, 0-0 GNAC) in a doubleheader Sunday starting at noon at HPU's Howard Okita Field in east O'ahu.
The first home games will be the PacWest Conference season opener against No. 17 Concordia University Irvine on Feb. 25-26 at the on-campus Vulcan Softball Field.
