IRVINE, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University softball opened the 2020 season with a pair of wins in the Concordia Kickoff Classic on Friday afternoon at Great Park.
 
The Sharks (2-0) won their first game in eight innings with a 6-4 triumph over Stanislaus State (0-2), then took down Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-1) 7-4.
 
Junior righthander Malia Torres of Danville, Calif./Monte Vista picked up the win in the circle in both games. Torres hurled 3.1 innings of hitless and scoreless relief against Stan State, allowing one walk. She started against CSUDH and allowed an earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
 
Junior catcher Mary Dungey of Las Vegas, Nev./Silverado had the hot bat, going 4-for-7 in the two contests with two runs scored, a pair of doubles and four RBIs. Sophomore infielder Brandi Leong of Wahiawa, Hawai'i/Leilehua went 4-for-8 with an RBI.
 
The first contest score single runs in the first three innings for an early 3-0 lead for true freshman starter Ashlee Laver making her collegiate debut in her hometown of Irvine from Woodbridge High. However, Stanislaus State plated a pair of runs in the fourth and two more in fifth inning, the later coming on three errors. Laver left after 4.2 innings allowing all four runs, two earned, on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
 
The Sharks tied the score in the sixth on Leong's RBI single that scored Dungey.
 
HPU grabbed the lead in the eighth, scoring two runs on an error for a 6-4 lead. The Warriors had runners on the corners with an out in the bottom of the eighth, but grounded into a 4-6-1 double play to end the game.
 
Against Dominguez Hills, the Sharks scored twice in the opening inning and never trailed. After a single by senior third baseman Sierra Dias of Mililani, Hawai'i/Bishop Gorman, sophomore left fielder Noel "Tita" Saunders tripled to left center to drive in Dias, and scored on Dungey's RBI single.
 
The Toros got a run back in the bottom of the second, only to see the Sharks blow open the contest in the top of the fifth on a two RBI double by Dungey and an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Leipua Kaui of Kapa'a/Kapa'a for a 5-1 lead. HPU added a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Saunders and a run in the seventh on a ground out RBI by junior outfielder Ashley Iseri of Cerritos, Calif./Whitney moving the lead to 7-1.
 
It was rocky in the bottom of the seventh, as Torres was relieved by junior lefthander Megan Wilson of Santa Clarita, Calif./West Ranch to start the frame. But the Toros tagged Wilson with three runs, two earned, on two hits with a walk without recording an out. Torres returned to the circle to close out the contest and the 7-4 win.
 
The Sharks play twice again on Saturday in the Concordia Kickoff Classic. HPU meets Cal State East Bay at 8 a.m. HST (10 a.m. PST), then squares off against Cal State San Marcos at 10:30 a.m. HST (12:30 p.m. PST) at Great Park.