By BILL O’REAR By BILL O’REAR ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports editor Tyler Simao provided the pitching in the opener and John Abreu and Tyson Goo clubbed solo home runs in Game 2 to lead the University of Hawaii at Hilo to
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Tyler Simao provided the pitching in the opener and John Abreu and Tyson Goo clubbed solo home runs in Game 2 to lead the University of Hawaii at Hilo to a 3-1 and 4-3 doubleheader sweep of Academy of Art University on Sunday.
The Pacific West Conference baseball twinbill was played at Laney College in Oakland, where the host Urban Knights from San Francisco play their home games. The teams close out their four-game series today with a single game at 3 p.m.
The Vulcans improved to 9-27 overall and 6-21 in the PacWest. They are riding a season-best three-game winning streak, with three straight victories over AAU (2-28, 2-21).
“We played well today,” a thrilled UHH coach Joey Estrella said. “We’re playing better and this gives us a boost in confidence. Our boys responded well and we want to finish with a win tomorrow (today) if we can.”
Simao, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior, scattered five hits while going the distance in Game 1 to record the win. He allowed only one run while striking out seven and walking two. Zach Mexicano went the distance for AAU and took the loss. He gave up five hits and three runs.
“Tyler was in command the whole way,” Estrella said. “The last three times out he’s pitched well. It was good to see him get the win today.”
No one paired hits for the Vulcans, but Joshua Wong, Jonathan James and Goo each drove in a run. Hot-hitting Niko Leite and Zach Babitt each had two hits for the hosts.
UHH scored solo runs in the first, third and fourth innings while the Urban Knights scored their lone run in the first inning.
In Game 2, Abreu hit a lead-off home run to get UHH started and Goo homered in the second to make it 2-0. The Vulcans added single runs in the third and fourth to extend the lead to 4-0 before AAU plated a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull to within 4-3.
But UHH starter Seamus Yoneshige (4.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs) and reliever Patrick Fletcher (2.1 no-hit innings) held off the hosts. Yoneshige got the win and Fletcher the save. AAU’s Wade Broadstreet went the distance and took the loss.
Abreu led the Vulcans with two hits. Babitt had two hits for the hosts while Leite had a hit and scored a run.
Softball
Chico States beat UHH 7-0 in the Tournament of Champions’ Platinum Bracket on Sunday as the Vulcans finished the three-day softball tourney with a 1-5 record.
The 24-team event attracts the top NCAA D-II teams from the West Region.
Erin Oshiro had two hits and Aisha Sueda one for the Vuls (16-15) against Chico State (25-10).
Earlier Sunday, in a make-up game from March 3, UHH beat Notre Dame de Namur 6-2 in a PacWest contest in Turlock.
Emily Green had three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs to lead UHH.
