FRESNO, Calif. –Hawai'i Pacific University leaped out to an early lead, but faltered in the middle innings as Fresno Pacific took the final game of the four-game PacWest Conference series 9-4 on Saturday afternoon at FPU Diamond.
 
The Sharks (12-15, 7-13) put up three runs in the first inning, but the Sunbirds (14-12, 11-9) came back with three consecutive two-run innings to take the win.
 
HPU got a 3-for-4 day at the plate from sophomore second baseman Matthew Tsutomi of Pearl City, Hawai'i/Pearl City, to go with a 2-for-3 afternoon from senior third baseman Wyatt Hoppie of Orange, Calif./Villa Park and a 2-for-4 day from senior first baseman Christian Kapeliela of Kaneohe, Hawai'i/Castle.
 
Junior righthander Charlie Brooks (1-4) of Ventura, Calif./Buena went 4.1 innings allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in getting the loss. Junior lefthander Joshua Muneno of Honolulu/Maryknoll threw 1.1 innings allowing two runs on four hits with a strikeout and two walks, while sophomore righthander Evan Spitzer of Mesa, Ariz./Desert Ridge finished the final 2.1 innings allowing three runs on a hit and three walks with a strikeout.
 
Fresno Pacific catcher Braden Frankfort was 3-for-4 with three RBI and first baseman Hunter Villanueva was 2-for-3 with four RBI.
 
Righthander Nic Boatman got the third complete game of the series for the Sunbirds, allowing four runs – three earned – on 11 hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
 
The Shark opened the game by scoring three runs in the top of the first, as senior rightfielder Ryan Torres-Torioka of Holualoa, Hawai'i/Konawaena got a one-out single, followed by a Hoppie walk and Kapeliela adding an RBI double. Senior designated hitter Codi Santana of Oxnard, Calif./St. Bonaventure HS grounded out to bring home Hoppie and Tsutomi plated Kapeliela with an RBI single through the left side.
 
The Sharks had an opportunity to score again in the third after a Hoppie one-out triple. But Kapeliela hit a hot smash down the line that FPU third baseman Ross Dodd snared, bump tagged Hoppie and threw to first in time to get Kapeliela.
 
It was the first of three double plays that the Sunbirds would turn on the day.
 
In the FPU fourth, Frankfort tripled to lead off the inning, followed by an RBI double from Villanueva, who later scored on a Shark throwing error.
 
In the fifth, the Sunbirds got a walk and hit batsman to start the inning and a sacrifice but put the runners in scoring position. After Muneno took over for Brooks on the mound, it was Frankfort who laced a two RBI single up the middle for a lead FPU would not relinquish.
 
The Sunbirds added two more in the sixth with an Adam Aleman RBI single and another RBI single from Frankfort for a 6-3 advantage.
 
FPU put it away in the eighth, putting two on the bases ahead of Villanueva who blasted a shot to left center for a 9-3 lead.
 
HPU adding a run in the top of the ninth as pinch hitter Gabriel Garcia singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch, then took advantage of a fielding error to score.
 
The Sharks closed an eight-game, 10-day mainland road trip with the loss and returns to Oahu to face Concordia Irvine in a PacWest doubleheader next Saturday at Hans L'Orange Park. The twinbill starts at 2 p.m.