Live by the homer, die by the homer.
Live by the homer, die by the homer.
Western Washington got all of its runs courtesy of a grand slam and a three-run home run, sending UH-Hilo’s softball team to 7-4 defeat and a split of two games Friday at the Dixie State Classic in St. George, Utah.
Earlier, Bailey Gaspar hit her sixth home run of the season and Danielle Wilson pitched a two-hitter as UH-Hilo beat Metro State 3-0.
Wilson (3-0) pitched her third complete game of the season, striking out two and only walking one.
Courtesy of Maria Steadmon’s two-run double in the second and Cristina Menjivar’s two-run single in the fifth, the Vulcans (6-4) were tied with Western Washington (7-2) until Emily Benson became the Vikings’ career home run queen, homering off Leah Gonzalez, who started the fifth in relief of Bille Derleth.
Gonzalez also took the loss Thursday, yielding three run in the seventh t0 No. 19 Colorado Mesa for a 6-5 loss. Kacie Freudenberger was the big bat for UH-Hilo, hitting a solo home run and a two-run single.
Pitchers are starting to take notice of Gaspar’s power. She walked twice in each game Friday. In the first game, Kristen Ishii had two hits, including a double.
On Saturday, the Vulcans play Montana State Billings and Central Washington.