ALAMEDA, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University fell behind early and never caught up as Holy Names claimed the series finale 11-8 on Monday evening at Pat Bail Field.
 
The Sharks (17-23, 11-21) lost the last three games in the series and fell for the eighth time in the last nine contests. The Hawks (10-32, 6-26) never trailed in the game for the first time in the series.
 
Senior designated hitter Codi Santana of Oxnard, Calif./St. Bonaventure HS was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and three RBIs, while senior first baseman Christian Kapeliela of Kaneohe, Hawai'i/Castle was 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, two runs scored and two walks.
 
The Sharks used five pitchers in the game. In his first HPU career start, junior righthander Jordan Gesling (0-1) of Lennox, S.D./Roosevelt was tagged with the loss allowing four runs – three earned – on five hits in three innings with two walks and a strikeout. Sophomore righthander Evan Spitzer gave up three runs – two earned – on four hits in three innings with a walk, while sophomore lefthander Conlan Myers of Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing two runs on a hit with a walk and a strikeout, and junior righthander Santiago Camarena of Houston, Texas/Clements pitched a third of an inning allowing just a hit. Senior righty Evan-Thomas May of Buena Park, Calif./Oxford Academy closed the game with two runs on two hits in an inning.
 
Holy Names starter Aiden McIntyre (1-8) got his first win of the year, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings. Reliever William Ruiz got his first save of the year, closing the game by giving up a walk with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Tyler Kanne worked two innings allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout, with Adrian Rodriguez allowing three runs – two earned – on three hits in a third of an inning. Jeff Hill gave up two walks while facing two batters.
 
Holy Names started the scoring with two runs in the second on an RBI single by Noah Padilla and an HPU fielding error that scored Padilla.
 
The Sharks got one back in the top of the third after sophomore rightfielder Ryan Torres-Torioka of Holualoa, Hawai'i/Konawaena smacked a two-out ground rule double, and Santana rapped an RBI single up the middle to cut HNU's lead to 2-1.
 
The Hawks answered with two more in the bottom of third by loading the bases in from of Padilla's two-RBI single to center.
 
HPU closed the gap again in the fifth, as Torres-Torioka singled ahead of Kapeliela's RBI triple. Santana followed with a double to plate Kapeliela. Santana went to third on a wild pitch, but a strikeout and a pop-up ended the half with the Sharks trailing 4-3.
 
However, Holy Names responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth. After a double by Jahshua Jones, Ruiz reached on a bunt single, but a throwing error allowed Jones to score. After loading the bases, Alex Denobriga got an RBI on a grounder to second, but a throwing error allowed another Hawk to score on the play for a 7-3 advantage.
 
HPU again made a charge in the seventh, picking up two when Kapeliela singled followed by Santana's RBI triple and a sacrifice fly by senior third baseman Wyatt Hoppie of Orange, Calif./Villa Park to plate Santana making the score 7-5.
 
But once again HNU replied when getting two on for pinch hitter Joshua Nelson to rap a two-RBI single to center field for a 9-5 lead.
 
The Sharks battled back again in the eighth, placing two on ahead of an RBI single to center by junior centerfielder Tanner Tokunaga of Pearl City, Hawai'i/Pearl City, then an RBI single by Torres-Torioka to left and a bases-loaded walk to freshman pinch hitter Micah Layosa of Lihue, Hawai'i/Kauai that pulled HPU within a run a 9-8. But the Hawks sent Ruiz from DH to the mound, and he promptly struckout the next two Sharks to end the threat.
 
The Hawks put a pair of insurance runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth, using an error and catcher's interference to put two on, then Ruiz and Denobriga added RBI singles for the 11-8 score that became the final.
 
The Sharks remain in the Bay Area to take on Academy of Art in a four-game series starting on Thursday at 3 p.m. HST (6 p.m. PDT).