You win a few, you lose a few, and along the way, if you learn what the game teaches you, there’s always a chance to improve. ADVERTISING You win a few, you lose a few, and along the way, if
You win a few, you lose a few, and along the way, if you learn what the game teaches you, there’s always a chance to improve.
That’s baseball at most any level and it was evident at Wong Stadium Saturday.
Essentially, that was the message UH-Hilo baseball coach Kallen Miyataki gave to his team after the Vulcans split a season-opening doubleheader with Hawaii Pacific, winning the first game 5-2, while being no-hit in a 7-0, seven-inning defeat in the second game.
“That kid did a good job,” Miyataki said of HPU’s Matthew Gunter, a soft-tossing left-hander who handcuffed the Vulcans in second game. “I hope we can learn from it, this is game about pitching, about mixing speeds, keeping people off balance.
“Let’s hope it was a learning experience,” he said.
Gunter was hitting his spots and keeping the Vulcans uncomfortable at the plate with an effective changeup that was clocked at 72 mph by one radar gun, while his top end fastball hit 85 just once in the game.
In the last inning, UHH batters came to the looking like they wanted to hit home runs and the result of those efforts were three consecutive strikeouts by Gunter to wrap up his impressive performance.
“We got to run some people in there and get them on the mound a bit,” Miyataki said, “that gave them a little feel, but we have a lot to learn about how this game needs to be played.”
The Sharks opened the scoring in the top of the first when UH-Hilo starter Dylan Spain started by hitting the first batter, Tanner Tokunaga, who advanced on a passed ball, moved to third on an infield out and scored on sacrifice fly from Wyatt Hoppie.
The 6-foot-6 freshman from Honolulu settled down after that and allowed just two more harmless single until the sixth when Tokunaga started the innings with a blistering shot to deep left that was just out of the reach of Kyle Yamada for a standup triple. Ryan Torres-Tokioka followed with a run-scoring single that chased Spain and reliever Drew Ichikawa couldn’t get out of the inning when a ground ball could only get one out. In came Royce Jacobson who had a similar fate, allowing a fielder’s choice that scored a run and walked a batter.
The third reliever of the inning, Cole Nakachi, got the third out, but it came on a play at third base after a single drove in the inning’s fourth run for a 5-0 lead.
The lead grew to 7-0 in the seventh when Nicholas Asuncion, the Vulcans’ fifth pitcher in the game, gave up a two out, two run double to deep right-center field to cleanup hitter Codi Santana before freshman Chance Colson came in to get the final out.
Vulcans 5, Sharks 2
It started just the way it’s supposed to start for a team ready to play with the enthusiasm of a new season.
For starting pitcher Eric Vega, the new season for the Vulcans felt a lot like the last season, except for the way it all worked out.
The junior pitcher who couldn’t get a win a year ago looked like he could be comfortable in the role of an ace Saturday when he spaced eight singles to Hawaii Pacific and, boosted by three runs in the first two innings, came away with a 5-2 victory in the first game of a doubleheader that opened the Pacific West Conference season.
“It’s what he does, what he’s been doing for us,” said Miyataki after the game, “we’re just giving him a little support and it makes a difference.”
A year ago, Vegas was the hard luck pitcher on the staff, with an 0-9 record that was balanced by a 3.17 earned run average. He scattered hits here and there, pitched a lot of innings, kept his team in the game but couldn’t find a way to get a win.
It’s a new year and a new result for him. After his first start, he’s 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average as both runs scored on a fielding error.
“I felt great to have that kind of support today,” Vega said. “I knew early my defense was going to make plays for me and when you have that, it gives you confidence.
“I knew I didn’t have to be perfect,” he said,. “I knew it was going to be about pitching my game and letting my defense do the rest. I’m not a strikeout pitcher so that really helps as far as confidence.”
One thing that happened early might not have happened all season for Vega last year — a couple of early runs.
When Miyataki was asked the last time he could recall a couple early runs for a pitcher on top of his game, the coach smiled.
“I don’t know, and right now it doesn’t matter,” Miyataki said. “I’m just so proud of these kids and this staff to get them to the level they’re at right now, it was a good way to start, that’s for sure.”
You could almost feel Miyataki beaming from anyplace in the ballpark when the first inning opened with a solid double to left center by sophomore Dylan Sugimoto, playing centerfield. He advanced on a well-placed bunt by left fielder Kyle Yamada and then first baseman Phil Steering singled in the first run of the season.
They got two more in the second when, with one out, Austin Forney doubled, Reese Kato was hit by a pitch, and two walks and an error later, the Vulcans were up, 3-0.
Singles by Cole Nagamine and Jacob Grijalva in the sixth inning, braced by a move-up bunt by Austin Forney and a perfectly placed bunt for a base hit by Reese Kato helped score two more.
Miyataki gave Vega a seat in the eight inning and called upon hard throwing Thomas Warren out of the bullpen. He wine through a scoreless inning, walked the first batter in the ninth, which prompted Miyataki to bring in submarining right-hander Deric Valoroso whose jerky-jerky motion and breaking balls got three quick outs.
“They looked good,” Miyataki said of the bullpen, “I think I have three out there we can rely on.”
He had two in the first game of the season, and a big start by the new No. 1, at least for a day.
