WAIPAHU, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University junior Joshua Muneno pitched his third consecutive complete game in leading HPU to a 5-2 PacWest Conference win over Hawai'i Hilo at Hans L'Orange Park on Saturday night.
 
The Sharks (21-27, 14-25) used a four-run sixth inning to take the first game of a final three-game series against the Vulcans (20-26, 16-21) that was played in a snappy two hours and 23 minutes.
 
Muneno (4-2), a lefthander from Honolulu/Maryknoll, grabbed the win allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
 
Senior designated hitter Wyatt Hoppie of Orange, Calif./Villa Park was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the sixth that put the Sharks up for good.
 
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when the Vulcans got on the board.
 
UHH's Mana Manago dropped a base hit just in front of diving HPU redshirt freshman centerfielder Joe Morin of Upland, Calif./Upland with one out. Then Kila Zuttermeister drew a four-pitch walk off of Muneno, marking the first base-on-balls that the Shark lefty allowed in 21.1 innings, and put two on. After a pop-up out, Dylan Sugimoto sent a fly to left field that got over the head of HPU junior leftfielder Jordan Mopas of Ewa Beach, Hawai'i/St. Louis for an RBI double to give the Vulcans a 1-0 lead. Then a Muneno wild pitch allowed Zuttermeister to score for a 2-0 UHH lead.
 
The Sharks made a comeback in the bottom of the sixth, thanks in part to a pair of Vulcan errors.
 
 Senior catcher Kreston Woods of Tempe, Ariz./DeNiza started the inning with a singled to shortstop and went to second on a sac bunt by senior shortstop Mitchell Bumann of Corona, Calif./Temescal Canyon. But Bumann was safe at first when Vulcan third baseman Zuttermeister threw the ball wide of the bag for an error. The Sharks tested Zuettermeister again when Morin dropped a bunt down the third base line and beat it out to load the bases. Senior rightfielder Ryan Torres-Torioka of Holualoa, Hawai'i/Konawaena, sent an RBI chopper that got through UHH shortstop Edison Sakata to drive in Woods and the error plated Bumann as well to tie the game at 2-all. Following a strikeout, Hoppie stepped up with a two-RBI double to left field that scored Morin and Torres-Torioka and the Sharks took a 4-2 lead.
 
HPU added an insurance run in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Morin to drive in Bumann for the 5-2 lead.
 
The Sharks used defense in the eighth as Torres-Torioka made a diving catch in right center to kill a Vulcan threat.
 
Dylan Spain (4-7) got the loss, allowing four runs – one earned – on seven hits and striking out six in six innings. Cole Nakachi allowed a run on three hits while throwing a third of an inning, while Kekai Mahiko finished up throwing no-hit ball for 1.2 innings facing five batters.
 
The Sharks and Vulcans wrap up the season on Sunday at Hans L'Orange Park with a doubleheader, starting with a seven-inning PacWest game at Noon. A nine-inning non-conference game follows.