KANEOHE, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Pacific University closed the 2017 softball season with a sweep of a PacWest Conference doubleheader against neighbor island rival Hawai'i-Hilo Saturday afternoon at Howard Okita Field.
 
The Sharks (29-19, 18-14) beat the Vulcans (26-22, 17-15) 4-0 in the game one, and 7-5 in game two.
 
The Sharks battled back from 4-0 and 5-2 deficits in the second game by scoring five runs in the fifth and sixth frames. Junior Sienna Santiago of Ele'ele, Hawai'i/Waimea smacked a two RBI triple in the sixth to give the Sharks their first lead in the game and senior Gabriella Fordiani of Torrance, Calif./North followed with an RBI double for an insurance run in the win.
 
Game one featured a one-hit shutout in the circle by sophomore Jordan Curry of Farmington, N.M./Farmington (7-7), who hurled five strikeouts in the win.
 
Junior Gabriella Nowack of San Jose, Calif./Silver Creek (3-1) picked up the win in game two in relief.
 
Santiago led the offensive barrage going 3-for-6 on the day, including a 3-for-4 game two with two triples and three RBI. Junior first baseman Noelani Boyer of Carson, Calif./Banning bashed her 10th home run of the season, the most since Maile Kim's nine homers in the national championship season of 2010.
 
It was the final game for HPU seniors Fordiani, Kristy Washizaki, Carolann Toyama, Nicole Viena, Mari Kajiwara, Lauren Nicolosi, Kayla Sanchez and Britney Stevens.
 
Game One
 
The Sharks never trailed as they collected four unearned runs in beating the Vulcans in game one 4-0.
 
HPU picked up one run in the second as Sanchez opened the inning with a double and scored when Viena followed with a bunt that Vulcan pitcher Leah Gonzales threw past first base.
 
The score held until the sixth. The Sharks had runners on first and second with two out when Vienna singled to left field and Vulcan left fielder Kristen Ishii misplayed the ball, allowing two runs to score and Vienna ending up on third. Toyama followed with a ground ball to short and a throwing error allowed the fourth HPU run to score.
 
Curry shut down the Vulcans in the seventh for the win. Curry allowed only a second inning hit and two other runners who reached on errors by shortstop Sierra Dias.
 
Game Two
 
A two out rally in the sixth inning led the Sharks to a season closing 7-5 win.
 
The Sharks had to overcome a 4-0 second inning deficit on the way to the win as the Vulcans got an RBI single by Bailey Gaspar in the first, then scored three unearned runs after two out in the second. An error loaded the bases and Kawano came up with an RBI single, with Gaspar adding a two RBI single for the 4-0 lead.
 
Boyer led off the second for the Sharks with a blast to the trees in left field. Sanchez singled and Viena dropped a bunt in front of the plate and beat out the throw for a single. Sanchez went to third and scored on a ground ball to short by Dias. HPU cut the Vulcan lead in half at 4-2.
 
UHH added a fifth run in the fourth when Gaspar chalked up her fourth RBI with a double to right center for a three run 5-2 lead.
 
The Sharks started the comeback in the bottom of the fifth when Dias reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning and was driven home by Santiago's first triple of the game. Kajiwara beat out an infield single to short, scoring Santiago to pull HPU to within one at 5-4.
 
In the sixth, Viena walked, was sacrificed to second and after a popout, went to third when pinch hitter Brazzlyn Tovio-Asato reached on a dropped throw by UHH first baseman Cristina Menjivar. Washizaki reentered to run at first, then stole second. Santiago stepped up to smash a 3-2 pitch to the fence in left center for a two RBI triple to give the Sharks their first lead. Fordiani pinch hit and came up with the RBI double for the insurance run and a 7-5 lead.
 
Hilo chalked up a pair of singles in the seventh before getting the final ground out and pick up the win.