Callen Perreira’s first impression after the start of his second stint as UH-Hilo softball coach: We can do this.
The Vulcans’ bats were finally thwarted by Cal State San Bernardino’s Cassandra Williams on Sunday, but Perreira will take the positive signs he saw at the Desert Stinger tournament and be happy to get out of Las Vegas with a 3-2 record.
“We competed with some very good teams,” Perreira said. “Realizing we have pretty much an underclassmen starting lineup, I’m very encouraged by what I saw.”
How weird was it for Perreria, the program’s winningest coach, to be a back in charge of the Vulcans for the first time since 2009.
It wasn’t.
“I got all that out of the way at the alumni game,” he said.
The Vulcans found new sources of offense in their first game Sunday, with Brinell Kaleikini, Danielle Pulido and Kristen Ishii all homering in a 11-3 victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-4). With a grand slam, Pulido finished with five RBIs. In addition to freshmen Kaleikini and Ishii, Leah Gonzalez collected three hits and scored three runs, backing Cyanne Fernandez, who made her season debut with 4 2/3 innings innings, giving up just two hits and not allowing an earned run.
Perreira was also impressed by Gonzalez’s makeup in the circle in a 4-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino. She pitched a complete game and didn’t walk a batter with five strikeouts.
“Seeing the freshmen be able to step up was one of the biggest things of the weekend,” Perreira said.
Williams, who is the program’s winningest pitcher, Perreira said, won her fourth game of the season with a four-hitter, striking out five for the Coyotes (4-1).
“She pitched very well,” Perreira said.
The Vulcans have scored 34 runs in five games, led by Bailey Gaspar, who homered in each of the first three games and already has eight RBIs.
Gonzalez (1-1) has been the workhorse, pitching 19 2/3 innings so far, overshadowing last season’s most prominent pitchers, Billi Derleth and Danielle Wilson.
While Wilson got the win Saturday in a complete game in a 6-4 victory against Western New Mexico, Derleth (1-1) struggled with her command, walking seven batters in 6 2/3 innings without a strikeout. In addition to two starts, Derleth took the loss Saturday in a 9-8 extra-inning defeat to Sonoma State, which is now 4-1.
A doubleheader against winless Western New Mexico was put back on the schedule for Tuesday, then the Vulcans make the drive up to St. George, Utah, for the Dixie State Classic.
Perreira said the tournament has two top-20 teams.
“We’ll have to be ready again,” he said.
