HILO, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Hilo baseball team closed its season-opening series with a 7-3 loss to No. 15 Augustana Saturday afternoon in non-conference play at Francis Wong Stadium.
After an even first inning with the score 1-1, the Vikings added a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings while scoring insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
The Vulcans capitalized early as Casey Yamauchi got on with a lead-off single and came all the way around the horn on a failed pick-off attempt and later on the wild throwdown after stealing third base.
Joshua Fuentes drove in a run on a double past the third baseman and later scored on a balk — the sixth total resulting in a score this series.
The Vulcans used seven pitchers and while giving up just five walks, they combined to allow 12 hits.
Trevor Winterstein, Jack Hines and Tate Meiners each had a multi-hit outing for the Vikings.
SERIES NOTES
- Casey Yamauchi finished 7 for 12 (.412) with two RBI, seven runs scored, three walks and one hit by pitch. At shortstop, the fifth-year senior collected 11 putouts and 18 assists (.967) with three double plays.
- Blake Tweedt recorded 15 putouts (1.000) in right field while Bradyn Yoshida had 14 in center (1.000). Vance Oshiro also had three putouts with nine assists (1.000) at second and third base while Joshua Fuentes had three putouts and seven assists (1.000).
- Vance Oshiro finished with five hits (.357).
- Alec Yamauchi batted .300 (3 for 10) and drove in four runs and smacked a double.
- There were 10 total balks between pitchers from both teams; six of which resulted in a run scored.
- Christian DeJesus gave up zero hits and zero earned runs in 3.0 innings pitched but tied for a series high of four walks allowed.
- Aaron Davies (3.0 IP), Jake LIberta (2.2 IP), Matthew O'Brien (2.2 IP), Ty Honda (2.1 IP), Kekahi Haina (1.1 IP), John Navarro (1.0 IP) and Jarod Kaneshiro (0.2 IP), kept their ERAs intact without allowing any earned runs.
WHAT'S NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo fell to 4-1 overall, 0-0 PacWest while Augustana moved to a 1-4 record (0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference).
The Vulcans will play Northwest Nazarene (0-4 overall, 0-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) Feb. 9-11 for a four-game series. The Nighthawks were GNAC co-regular season champs a year ago and have opened the 2023 season with four losses to Point Loma Nazarene.
