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Hawaii Pacific University Athletics

Obrien
12
Winner hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1 11-22
2
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE 21-13
Winner
hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1
11-22
12
Final
2
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE
21-13
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1 2 1 2 0 0 2 0 5 12 10 1
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 8 3

W: O'Brien, Jack (2-4) L: Umeda, Ryu (0-3) S: Ramos, Markus (1)

7
Winner hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1 21-14
4
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE 12-22
Winner
hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1
21-14
7
Final
4
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE
12-22
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
hawaii pacific HPU(2)~1 0 1 0 1 4 0 1 7 6 1
Holy Names Hawks HNU_BASE 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 4 6 2

W: Stephens, D.J. (2-1) L: Benson, Mitch (3-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Breaks Skid as They Split Four-Game Series with the Hawks

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Hawaii Pacific University baseball team wrapped up their series against PacWest conference opponent Holy Names University Thursday afternoon at the College of Alameda Baseball Field. 
 
The Sharks (12-22, 8-15 PacWest) snapped their 8-game skid as they dominated the second double-header over the Hawks (21-14, 11-9 PacWest).  

Game One

Like the two games yesterday, Hawaii Pacific got the runs going first. The first three batters in the first inning reached on base for the Sharks. Kota Suzuki drew a walk and Nicholas Jio bunted for a single, before Tejean Smith reached on an error after laying down a sacrifice bunt. Suzuki came around to score on the error, while Jio came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of D.J. Stephens. 

Then in the top of the second, with two outs to their name, Noah Hata and Suzuki both drew walks. This set up Jio, who smacked a single to center field to extend HPU's lead to 3-0. 

Moving into the third, Stephens and Travis Johnson opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Chase Taylor followed them up by sending a ball into center field, deep enough to score Stephens. Before Holy Names knew it, the bases were loaded for Jio. Luckily for them, Jio decided to draw a walk to only make the score 5-0. 

The Hawks finally broke through the stellar pitching of Jack O'Brien in the fifth inning. An error allowed HNU to cut into HPU's lead with a single run. 
 
However the Sharks did not like that, immediately responding in the next half inning. A single by Suzuki and a double by Jio put two runners in scoring position before an out was even recorded. Smith then reached on a fielder's choice, bringing home Suzuki in the meantime. Smith continued his journey on the base path, traveling to third off a wild pitch and error. To top it all off, a ball in play by Richard Higa saw the Hawks' try to throw out Smith at home, but they were too late. 
 
Holy Names' offense seemingly started to ramp up. The first batter in the bottom of the sixth inning smacked a ball over the right field fence. Another hit by HNU made it seem like O'Brien was starting to falter. However, that was not the case, as he forced the next three batters to soar their balls for flyouts. At the end of the sixth, Hawaii Pacific maintained a 7-2 lead. 

Once again the Sharks found themselves with the bases loaded in the eighth, thanks to a single and a couple of walks. The rough patch did not stop there for HNU's pitcher, as three straight HPU batters were hit by a pitch, drawing in three more runs. With a new pitcher now on the mound, Hata wasted no time greeting him, slapping a single to center field to plate a pair of runners. 

Since they were up ten runs, they activated the run-ahead rule. The Hawks did have two runners in scoring position and were looking to extend game one to the ninth inning. However, pitcher Markus Ramos challenged the final batter, forcing a swinging strikeout to give HPU the 12-2 victory. 

Jio was superb from the plate in game one, reaching base four times with three hits and a walk. He, alongside Taylor and Hata, led the way with two RBIs each. 
 
O'Brien and Ramos gave up one earned run on eight hits. They also struck out three batters in the process. 

Game Two

Hawaii Pacific completed the 4-4 opening run sweep, as they started the scoring in the second frame of game two. A fielding error by the right fielder for Holy Names allowed the inning to continue. Daniel Johnson made use of this opportunity, pulling a single to left field to bring in Travis Johnson, who was the one who reached base on the misplay. 

Heading to the fourth inning, Richard Higa hit a single to right field, before advancing to second base on a passed ball. One out later and Higa found himself on third. T. Johnson was able to send a ball far enough into center field to score Higa on a sacrifice fly.

Unfortunately, a mishap on the side of the Sharks gave Holy Names a chance to cut their deficit into half. At the end of the fourth frame, HPU led HNU by a score of 2-1. 

Hawaii Pacific's bats came alive in the top of the fifth. After surrendering a quick out, Noah Hata and Kota Suzuki earned hits to put runners aboard. Nicholas Jio then took one for the team to load the bases. Tejean Smith capitalized on this chance and squeezed a single through the right side of the infield. Two runners came across the plate to add some insurance. 

Continuing into the inning, Jio and Smith completed a double steal to get them both in scoring position. It would pay off, as a wild pitch scored Jio, and a sacrifice fly by Higa brought home Smith.  

While it seemed like the game was going to end quietly, two loud cracks of the bat  saw HNU's five run deficit turn into two in the sixth inning. 

Higa saw what Holy Names did and decided to do the same thing in the seventh inning. Higa took a pitch and sent it over the fence for his second home run of the season. Hawaii Pacific held on in the bottom half of the frame for a 7-4 victory in game two. 

Higa led the way in the hitting department, finishing with two hits. Higa, alongside Smith, brought home two runs a piece. 

Stephens got the start on the mound for the Sharks, going four innings and giving up one unearned run. Meanwhile, closer Ryan Inouye came in and completed his fourth save of the year. 
 
Up Next 

The Sharks will now head to Lincoln, California for another quick stop. There they will face William Jessup University for a single non-conference matchup on Saturday, April 8. First pitch is set for around 5:15 p.m. PST at McBean Park. 
 
#GoSharks
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