HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Baseball returned home and dropped a series-opening doubleheader to No. 14 Point Loma, 20-2 and 2-0, on Friday afternoon in Pacific West Conference play at the James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium.

Seven defensive errors plagued the Vulcans in the opener as eight of the Sea Lions' 20 total runs were makred as unearned. The contest was ended after seven innings due to the PacWest Conference 10-run mercy rule.

Game 2 was a bit of a pitchers duel as freshman Logan Sanchez made his first start in his 11th appearance on the mound. Sanchez went toe to toe with Point Loma's Vaughn Neckar — also a freshman — with giving up just five hits, two runs and two walks while striking out five batters through 6.1 innings. Neckar managed to hold the Vulcans to just one hit.

NOTES

• Game 1: No. 14 Point Loma 20 - Hawai'i Hilo 2 (7 inn.)
  • Four errors in the opening frame allowed Point Loma to send 12 batters to the plate and score eight runs (seven were unearned).
  • PLNU managed to total 17 hits — the most allowed by the Vulcans in a single game so far this season.
  • The Vulcans responded in the bottom of the first with hits by Kolby Gushiken and Hunter Gatti to plate a run, but that would be it as Hawai'i Hilo left 11 total runners on the base paths at the end of innings — twice leaving the bases full.
  • Colby Rafail recorded six putouts in center field.
• Game 2: No. 14 Point Loma 2 - Hawai'i Hilo 0 (7 inn.)
  • Gatti had the Vulcans lone hit on a single to lead off the bottom of the fifth.
  • Sanchez held Point Loma scoreless through four innings before the Sea Lions managed to string together three hits aided by a pair of free passes to first base to bring across two runs in the fifth. The freshman got himself out of a base-loaded jam by inducing a inning-ending ground out by former Vulcan Mason Cook ^'25 to minimize the damage.
  • Sanchez struck out five batters and induced nine ground outs and five fly outs across 6.1 innings.
  • Devin Meyer entered in the top of the seventh with two runners on but prevented PLNU from adding further insurance runs by retiring the next two batters to end the inning.
• Friday's doubleheader start time was pushed back one hour due to a prior community event held at Francis Wong Stadium.
• The first 100 attending fans received a free red Vulcan-branded rubber duck. Each duck had an assigned number with giveaway prizes handed out at random at the end of each inning.
• Hawai'i Hilo: 11-21 Overall (10-18 PacWest)
  • Preseason Coaches Poll: No. 11
  • Current Conference Standing: No. 9
• No. 14 Point Loma: 30-7 Overall (26-4 PacWest)
  • San Diego, California
  • Preseason Coaches Poll: No. 1
  • Current Conference Standing: No. 1

UP NEXT

• Saturday, April 4 (3 PM + 6 PM) vs No. 14 Point Loma (James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium)
• Sunday, April 12 (3 PM + 6 PM) vs Concordia (James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium)
• Monday, April 13 (3 PM + 6 PM) vs Concordia (James "Jimmy" Correa Ballfield at Dr. Francis F.C. Wong Stadium)
• Saturday, April 25 (2 PM + 5 PM) vs Chaminade (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
• Sunday, April 26 (NOON + 3 PM) vs Chaminade (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
• Wednesday, April 29 (6:35 PM) vs UH Manoa (Honolulu, Hawai'i)

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.