HONOLULU — Hawai'i Pacific erased an early four-run deficit Monday night at Hans L'Orange Park, pounding out 16 hits to defeat Jessup University 9-6 and secure the series victory.

Jessup came out swinging in the first inning, plating four runs highlighted by a two-run homer from Tony Otis. The Warriors added an RBI walk and a run-scoring groundout to take a 4-0 lead before the Sharks recorded an out.

HPU chipped away in the third. Blake Helsper delivered a two-run single to right field to cut the deficit in half, bringing the Sharks within 4-2. The momentum continued in the fourth when Kan Taguchi tripled to center to score Taydem Hashimoto, and Tyler Arnold followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game at 4-4.

Jessup briefly regained the lead in the fifth on a solo home run by Quinton Hall, but the Sharks answered again in the sixth. Helsper came through for the second time with a two-run single, scoring Jayden Gabrillo and Taguchi to give HPU a 6-5 advantage.

The Warriors tied the game in the seventh, but Ethan Murakoshi responded immediately in the bottom half with a go-ahead solo home run to center field. HPU added insurance in the eighth as Murakoshi drove in another run with a single, and Taguchi followed with an RBI base hit to push the lead to 9-6.

Garrett Sinfield earned the win in relief, tossing three strong innings with five strikeouts while allowing just one earned run. Noah Rhea picked up his third save of the season to close out the victory.

Taguchi led the offense with three hits and two RBI, while Helsper finished with three hits and three RBI. Murakoshi added two hits and two RBI as the Sharks' lineup combined for 16 hits on the night.

With the win, Hawai'i Pacific improved to 8-9 overall and completed a strong showing at home against Jessup.