HILO, Hawai'i – It was a tale of two games as the No. 16 Hawai'i Hilo baseball team split with Azusa Pacific in a 13-8 loss and a 2-1 win Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at Francis Wong Stadium.
Both teams opened the series combining for 29 total hits with the Vulcans tallying up 14 of them. But the Cougars had better luck on timely-hits with 12 RBI as Hawai'i Hilo drove in eight runs in comparison while leaving 10 runners stranded.
The seven-inning nightcap was a sprint to the finish line with a display of flashy defensive plays from both sides in the one-run affair.
Ryan Cho combined for four hits and two runs scored through the night while finishing with three defensive assists and 15 putouts at first base.
GAME 1: AZUSA PACIFIC 13, NO. 16 HAWAI'I HILO 8
- APU jumped on the board early with three hits in the opening frame to plate a pair of runs. The Cougars continued to pile on as they racked up 12 of their hits through the first five innings to take a commanding 12-0 lead highlighted by a three-run homer by Cameron Lee.
- In contrast, Hawai'i Hilo had just three hits through five innings but slowly chipped away to make it a 12-7 game at the end of the seventh.
- The two teams traded a run in the eighth inning and that would be it as Azusa Pacific took the victory.
- Trent Jackson, Vance Oshiro and Mason Cook each drove in a pair of runs, highlighted by Cook's two-run homer in the seventh inning. Jackson and Alec Yamauchi both had three hits on the afternoon.
- Lee finished with five total RBI on a four-for-five outing with four runs scored for APU.
GAME 2: AZUSA PACIFIC 1, NO. 16 HAWAI'I HILO 2 (7 INNINGS)
- Aaron Davies pitched the first complete game this season for the Vulcans, notching six strikeouts and giving up three hits and two walks for one unearned run.
- The lone APU run was scored in part due to Davies' own miscue as he balked on Cameron Lee's pre-pitched timed steal attempt from first base causing confusion on his throw to second, allowing Lee to advance another base. Two batters later, Lee scored on a sacrifice fly to make it just a one-run game in the sixth inning.
- Lee also ended a prime Vulcans' opportunity in the third inning with two outs and the bases juiced, Joshua Fuentes hit a fly ball down the left-field line but Lee came flying in to make an all-out diving snag for what surely would have dropped in for an extra-base hit.
- Casey Yamauchi and Blake Tweedt were among the Vulcans who made highlight-worthy defensive stops as Davies and Vance Oshiro capped the victory with a game-ending 1-4-3 double play.
- Casey Yamauchi scored both of the Vulcans' runs. First, after a lead-off double in the first inning followed by an RBI double by Alec Yamauchi to come around home. Later, he scored the game-winning run on an RBI single by Cho.
WHAT'S NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo improved to 8-3 in the PacWest (15-4 overall) as Azusa Pacific moved to a 5-1 conference record (12-8 overall).
The Vulcans will have a day in between returning to action Monday, March 13 to conclude its home-opening slate with another doubleheader against Azusa Pacific starting at 3 p.m.
Hawai'i Hilo will hold its Alumni Game March 18 at 1 p.m. at Francis Wong Stadium.
The Vulcans will travel to O'ahu for three non-conference games with HPU, March 25-26, before heading to northern California for games against Holy Names, Academy of Art and Fresno Pacific through mid-April.
MOVING ON UP
In the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II poll released this past Wednesday, the Vulcans jumped up seven spots to land at No. 16.
Note that the latest rankings only accounted for Hawai'i Hilo's lone win against Biola the week prior and did not factor in its three wins over No. 11 Point Loma Nazarene to begin the current week.
In the latest West Region rankings released Monday, Hawai'i Hilo moved up a spot to No. 3, swapping spots with Cal Poly Pomona. CSU San Bernardino held the top spot with PLNU right behind at the second slot.
