Phillip Steering didn’t let a little thing like losing deter him at all.
The senior first baseman kept hitting Monday in Oakland, Calif., slamming his 10th home run, and UH-Hilo avoided a four-game sweep at Academy of Art, winning 4-1 behind Drew Ichikawa’s fine outing.
Ichikawa (1-1) making just his fourth start of the season, pitched seven innings, gave up six hits, one earned run, walked three and struck out two. The junior right-hander didn’t allow a runner past second base before exiting after issuing a leadoff walk in the eighth. Deric Valoroso allowed an RBI single before inducing a groundball that the Vuls turned into their third double play. John Kea avoided danger in the ninth after allowing two hits to pick up his sixth save.
UHH (15-23, 11-19 PacWest) ended a four-game slide by cooling off the Urban Knights (21-20, 16-16), who won a pair of one-run games Sunday to set a program record for single-season wins.
Steering extended his single-season school record for homers with his third blast of the series, a solo shot in the third. He finished 3 for 4, including a double, and scored twice. He collected 10 hits and six RBIs in the four-game set and heads to Holy Names hitting .343.
The Vulcans came out hitting, getting singles from Kyle Yamada, Steering, Jaryn Kanbara and RJ Romo to score two runs in the first. In the ninth, Edwin Stanberry singled with one out and Kila Zuttermeister’s two-out hit to center scored pinch-runner Reece Kato.
Yamada and Romo were each 2 for 4.
The Vuls open a four-game slate at Holy Names on Thursday.
