HONOLULU, HI – Hawai'i Pacific University's baseball team dropped a hard-fought contest to North Greenville on February 6, falling 6-4 at Hans L'Orange Park. The Sharks (2-1) showed resilience late in the game but ultimately couldn't overcome an early deficit against the undefeated Crusaders (5-0).
Key Performances
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North Greenville's B. Fowler (1-0) earned the win, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing just 2 hits, 1 earned run, and striking out 4.
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B. Blomquist and J. Sears led the Crusaders' offense, each contributing multiple hits and reaching base on walks.
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Hawai'i Pacific's T. Harding homered in the 5th inning, bringing the Sharks within striking distance.
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N. Blythe and K. Taguchi were also key contributors, combining for 3 hits and 2 RBIs.
Game Recap
North Greenville jumped out early with a 3-run first inning, putting the Sharks in a hole. Hawai'i Pacific couldn't break through against Fowler in the early innings, managing just 2 hits through the first 4 innings. However, the Sharks got a spark in the 5th with T. Harding's home run, cutting the deficit to 3-1. After a shaky first inning, freshman J. Gabrillo settled in and made competitive pitches to put up 2 scoreless innings, along with a solid effort from the bullpen which helped keep the Sharks in the game.
In the 6th inning, North Greenville extended its lead with a 2-run rally, but the Sharks didn't go down quietly. N. Blythe's triple set up a strong 8th inning, where Hawai'i Pacific pulled within two runs. They were able to bring the tying run to the plate with 2 outs in the 9th inning but fell short 6-4.
The Sharks will look to even things up this Saturday in game 2 of the series.