It was not an example of the plan for success in University of Hawaii at Hilo softball, but it worked all the same Saturday when the Vulcans swept a doubleheader from Notre Dame de Namur, 4-3 and 7-3, running their Pacific West Conference record to 6-0.
It was not an example of the plan for success in University of Hawaii at Hilo softball, but it worked all the same Saturday when the Vulcans swept a doubleheader from Notre Dame de Namur, 4-3 and 7-3, running their Pacific West Conference record to 6-0.
The approach from coach Peejay Brun is reliant on consistent hitting and spotless defense, but on this day, each of those qualities suffered a bit, but not enough to prevent two more victories.
“I will never be happy with three errors,” Brun said after watching her team commit that many in the second game. “I don’t care if it’s bad hops, good hops or what, catch the ball, make the play, that’s what it’s about here.”
UH-Hilo played error-free ball in the first game but couldn’t piece together a string of hits in holding off the Argos after building a 4-0 lead.
Freshman Billi Derleth won her fifth straight game after going 6 1/3 innings and leaving the last two outs for Cyanne Fernandez who collected her second save.
The Vulcans were able to get the necessary hits in each game, but were unable all day to string together a big inning on a series of hits.
“I would rather take timely hitting over a lot of hits that don’t come when we need them,” Brun said. “But we take it and move on.
All alone in first place, the Vulcans are off to their best start in conference play since the 2009 season with another doubleheader against NDNU starting at noon Sunday.
In the second game, Danielle Wilson had a second inning struggle in the circle, allowing three singles and a base on balls before getting leadoff batter Alessandro Giannalova to hit one-bouncer back at her that Wilson turned into 1-2-3 double play. She then got an infield out to end the inning but after two the Vulcans trailed for the first time in conference play, 3-1.
After loading the bases with one out in the second, they made it 3-2 on an infield out that scored Chenoa Au. They got the lead the fourth when Au and Brittany Huff reached on ground balls in the infield ground balls, then Tori Garcia and Mari Kawano stroked back-to-back doubles for a 5-3 lead, Garcia’s hitting the top of the left field fence, just a foot or two from clearing the wall.
Bailey Gaspar’s sacrifice fly scored another run in the sixth and Cristina Menjivar made it 7-3 one batter later when she scored from third on a wild pitch.
UHH 4, NDNU 3: The Vulcans scored three runs in the second to take a 4-0 lead that was helped by two early Argo errors. Gaspar’s double scored two second-inning runs and added to the run third baseman Au tallied after a single and consecutive base hits by Mari Kawano and Menjivar. Tori Garcia got UHH on the scoreboard in the first when she led off with a single and scored on an overthrow error when Gaspar singled.
NDNU closed it to 4-3 after a bloop single to left by Katie Hoffman scored a run and bloop double to almost the same spot in short left Cheyenne Koki scored two more.
That was all the scoring but it got interesting in the seventh when freshman starter Billi Derleth got the first out, then gave up a base hit that summoned Cyanne Fernandez to get the final two outs, which she expeditiously with a fly ball to left and a third-to-first ground out that ended the game.
Gaspar went 4-for-4 and collected two RBI, raising her batting average to .370.
Derleth (6-3, 2.55 era), got the win, her fifth in a row and Fernandez earned her second save. Shelby Reali (0-4) took the loss for NDNU.