Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ST. GEORGE, Utah (April 23, 2016) – The Hawaii Pacific baseball team split a road doubleheader with 20
th-ranked Dixie State University, falling 10-2 in the opener and claiming the return matchup 6-4 (7 innings), to conclude a four-game PacWest Conference series at Bruce Hurst Field.
The Sharks (28-18, 18-16 PacWest) received a game-high four hits from senior shortstop
Tyler Tokunaga in the opener, while
Tanner Tokunaga and
Nolan Barraza collected two hits apiece.
Tyler Tokunaga kept swinging a hot bat in the return matchup and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and
Jordan Mopas went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI to pace the HPU hitters in the finale.
Sharks closer
Brandon Bonilla tossed two stellar innings of relief to end the final game and struck out six en route to securing his 11
th save of the season. The lefty has now struck out 37 over 25 innings and owns a miniscule 0.36 ERA.
Devland Zakar (1-0) notched the Game 2 win after holding Dixie State scoreless over 1 2/3 innings in relief of starter
Kyle Detwiler. HPU starter
Rico Garcia (5-5) took the loss in Game 1 after surrendering eight runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings.
The Trailblazers (35-11, 23-9) were buoyed by the top of their lineup, which combined to go 9-for-16 with five RBI in the first game alone.
Bonilla, the son of former Major League slugger Bobby Bonilla, joined the Sharks after spending time at both Arizona State and Grand Canyon Universities. The hard-throwing relief option, who can let it fly at 97 mph, also boasts a biting slider that darts in toward right-handed hitters.
Bonilla was selected in the 37
th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2011 after his time at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., by the Colorado Rockies. He was then picked in 2014 via the 25
th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but chose instead to focus on earning his college degree; he's currently a graduate student at HPU.
The Sharks look for continued improvement upon on their 27-20 record from last year, which included a 17-15 mark in conference play. HPU was picked to finish seventh this season in a very competitive 10-team PacWest Conference via a preseason vote by league coaches. The team is guided by 11
th-year skipper
Garett Yukumoto, who is the program's winningest coach at 317-214-1.
HPU will finish the season with two double dips at UH Hilo on April 30 and May 1.
