HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University junior righthander Brandon Peterson had one of the best outings of his career in leading HPU to a 4-1 PacWest Conference win over Hawai'i Hilo on Friday night.
 
The Sharks (2-9, 2-5) claimed the scheduled nine inning contest, but lost the seven inning game that was resumed from last Saturday to the Vulcans (5-5, 5-2) 9-8.
 
In the scheduled contest, Peterson (1-2) of Stockton, Calif./Excel Academy, scattered three hits over six innings, striking out seven Vulcans and issuing four walks to grab his first win of the year. Sophomore righthander Stone Parker of Kailua, Hawai'i/Kailua, had two shutout innings before allowing a run in the ninth, giving up three hits with two strikeouts. Senior righty Grant Dragmire of Elk Grove, Calif./Bradshaw Christian, notched his first save of the year, with a strike out in retiring the two batters he faced.
 
The final out of the game was a doozy. HPU freshman leftfielder Cole Kashimoto of Kaneohe, Hawai'i/Saint Louis School raced toward the fence in foul territory and dove head-first to catch a foul fly off the bat of UH Hilo's Chris Aubort with the bases loaded to end the contest.
 
The Sharks belted nine hits against the Vulcans, led by freshman first baseman Noah Blythe of Santa Clarita, Calif./Canyon, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, junior centerfielder Diego Harris of Los Angeles, Calif./Crespi, who was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and freshman second baseman Haydon Huff of Riverside, Calif./Woodcrest Christian who was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Senior third baseman Joe Gallagher of Sacramento, Calif./Del Campo added an RBI double as well.
 
HPU grabbed the lead in the first on Blythe's RBI single that plated Harris for the 1-0 lead. Then pushed the advantage to 3-0 in the third thanks to an RBI single from Harris, another RBI single from Blythe and the run-scoring double of Gallagher.
 
HPU shut down threats until the ninth, when a tiring Parker allowed a single, a double and a hit batsman before giving up an RBI single. Dragmire came on in relief with a strikeout and the foul fly for the victory.
 
UHH's Kyle Alcorn (2-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings with four walks and five strikeouts. Jarod Kaneshiro followed with three innings of one-hit ball, with a walk and two strikeouts.
 
HPU had another heartbreaker in the resumed game prelim. Despite holding a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the second as the visiting team, the Sharks allowed the Vulcans to post a three-run second, a two-run fourth and a four-run sixth to win the seven-inning affair.
 
HPU added a single run in the third and fought back with a run in the seventh, but stranded the potential tying run at third in the HPU seventh.
 
Freshman righty Daniel Cortez of Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Ranch (0-2) got the loss, charged with two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in the final inning. Junior righthander Zack McHone of Bakersfield, Calif./Liberty Hills had a chance for the win, but was on the hook for four runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Senior Nico Gomez of Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's HS was the starter last Saturday, pitching one full inning allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits and four walks.
 
The Vulcans Christian Sadler (2-0), who came in on Saturday in the first inning, returned to the mound to go five more innings. In his five-and-two-thirds innings he allowed a run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts. John Kea allowed a run on a hit with a walk in the final inning for his first save of the year.
 
HPU shortstop Richard Higa of Honolulu/University Lab, was 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the offensive attack.
 
The Sharks and Vulcans have the first of two weekend doubleheaders on Saturday, with the first pitch at 11 a.m. for the nine-inning contest. A seven-inning nightcap follows about 2 p.m., or thirty minutes after the end of the first game.