ATHERTON, California – It was a tale of two games as Hawai'i Hilo Baseball opened an eight-game road trip with a doubleheader split against Menlo, a 20-5 mercy-rule loss followed by a 4-0 shutout victory, on Friday afternoon in Pacific West Conference action at Cartan Field.

Game 1 went off the rails as the Oaks totaled three home runs (two grand slams) and managed to post a five-run bottom of the second and a nine-run fifth inning. Ten-run mercy rule after seven innings is in effect for PacWest Conference contests.

The Vulcans bounced back as junior pitcher Brandon Bollerer tossed a gem with three strikeouts, four hits allowed and no walks surrendered for the seven-inning complete-game shutout.

Hunter Gatti brought in the Vulcans' first run in the opening frame on an RBI base hit. Hawai'i Hilo plated three more runs in the seventh inning with an RBI hit by Ivor Brooks, Brandon Wada scoring on a wild pitch and Nico Low hitting a sacrifice fly.

GAME NOTES

• Colby Rafail recorded five putouts in center field in Game 1.
• Braeden Mondeau totaled six assists and two putouts (.889) with a game-ending double play in the Game 2 victory.
• Bollerer faced 25 batters (four over the minimum) and induced 12 ground outs and five fly outs on 86 charted pitches.
• Evan Merz opened the scoring in Game 1 with a solo shot over the right field fence to make it back-to-back games with a home run (grand slam vs Wayne State on Feb. 7).
• Sebastian Garcia made his return to the pitching bump going 1.0 innings in Game 1. The redshirt senior made his 15th appearance as a Vulcan after having last pitched just over a year ago on Feb. 9, 2025 in a 15-10 win over Sioux Falls.
• Hawai'i Hilo: 2-4 Overall (1-1 PacWest)
  • Preseason Coaches Poll: No. 11
  • Current Conference Standing: T4
• Menlo: 3-2 Overall (1-1 PacWest)
  • Atherton, California
  • Preseason Coaches Poll: No. 12
  • Current Conference Standing: T4

UP NEXT

• Saturday, Feb. 14 (9 AM / 11 AM PT) vs Menlo (Atherton, California)
• Saturday, Feb. 14 (NOON / 2 PM PT) vs Menlo (Atherton, California)
• Wednesday, Feb. 18 (10 AM / NOON PT) vs Jessup (Lincoln, California)
• Wednesday, Feb. 18 (1:30 PM / 3:30 PM PT) vs Jessup (Lincoln, California)
• Thursday, Feb. 19 (10 AM / NOON PT) vs Jessup (Lincoln, California)
• Thursday, Feb. 19 (1:30 PM / 3:30 PM PT) vs Jessup (Lincoln, California)
• Friday, Feb. 27 (6 PM) vs Chuo (James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium)
• Saturday, Feb. 28 (5 PM) vs Chuo (James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium)

PACWEST PRESEASON POLL

Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 11 in the Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vulcans finished the 2025 regular season at No. 11 in the conference standings. The four-team 2026 PacWest Championships postseason tournament will be hosted by Westmont on May 6-8 in Santa Barbara, California.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Season and individual tickets for the Vulcans' 27 home matches at the James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium are available for purchase at HiloAthletics.com/tickets. Season tickets are $115 ($60 for seniors 65+ and middle/high school students).

BUY LIVESTREAM PACKAGE

Video livestreaming will be available for all home events this season through the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/livestream. Single-game passes for baseball are offered at $15, doubleheader day passes at $26.25 and a season-package (27 games) price of $303.75.