HILO, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Hilo softball team returned for year No. 2 on its recently renovated half-turf Vulcan Softball Field for the first home games of the 2023 season as it opened Pacific West Conference play with narrow losses to 16th-ranked Concordia University Irvine, 4-3 and 5-0.
Lexie Tilton combined for two hits through both games while Brandee Chinen and Chloe each provided hitting highlights with a home run and two doubles, respectively.
GAME 1: CUI 4, UHH 3
- After three scoreless innings, the Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly, only to be matched in the bottom frame with a Madison Smith RBI-single to left field.
- CUI added another sacrifice fly in the fifth before hitting two solo homers an inning later by Rylie Rohr and Kendall Flatt to take a 4-1 lead.
- Hawai'i Hilo responded with a lead-off single from Dyoni Garcia to set-up a two-run blast by Brandee Chinen for her second-career home run to pull the Vulcans within a score.
- Daniela Alvarez entered the pitching circle for CUI and sent five of the six batters she faced swinging down on strike three as she earned the save.
- Alexis Lacy went the distance for the Vulcans, notching two strikeouts and allowing six hits and four earned runs with four walks given up.
GAME 2: CUI 5, UHH 0
- Malia Risdall (0-2) got the start in the pitching circle and went the distance, scattering nine hits and minimizing five walks to allow five earned runs. The senior threw three scoreless innings before CUI plated a single run in the fourth inning. The Golden Eagles added another score in the sixth to keep the game close heading into the final two at-bats.
- Risdall opened the game by throwing a three-pitch inning by allowing a lead-off single, inducing a grounded double play and fouling out the third batter in order to retire the side.
- The Golden Eagles bunched together three singles to start the top frame of the final inning as they capped a three-run spurt with a two-RBI double by Mary Baccay.
- Chloe Domingo led the Vulcans with a 2-for-3 outing with two doubles while adding three putouts and one assist at third base.
WHAT'S NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 0-2 in the PacWest (3-8 overall) while No. 16 Concordia University Irvine improved to a 2-0 record (12-4 overall).
The Vulcans and Golden Eagles will be back at it Sunday, Feb. 26 with another doubleheader starting at noon.
Hawai'i Hilo will have two more home series in the following weeks with Biola March 3-4 and Azusa Pacific March 13-14.
The final home games will be against Chaminade and HPU at the end of April.