UH-Hilo: Vuls baseball takes one on chin in 22-0 loss; softball splits at Azusa

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Sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug.

On Friday at No. 20 Azusa Pacific, it was the Vulcans’ baseball team’s turn to get splattered.

The Cougars scored five in the second inning, two in the third, six in the fourth, two in the fifth, four in the sixth and three more in the eighth en route to a 22-0 victory.

Azusa pounded 17 hits, drew 14 walks and was hit six times by six pitchers for the Vulcans (10-13, 8-8 Pacific West Conference), who will try to regroup for a doubleheader Saturday to close the four-game series.

The Cougars (18-9, 8-2), who won 10-2 on Thursday, have scored 29 runs in the past 11 innings.

Christian Sadler (2-3) started and lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits, four walks and three hit batters. Sadler struck out one.

For Azusa, 10 different players had hits and Griffen Herrera and Tido Robles hit home runs.

UHH designated hitter Chris Aubort had three of the hits, including a double, and Mana Manago had hits.

Also in Azusa, the Vulcans softball team went through two rocky seventh innings and split two extra-inning affairs, losing 5-4 in eight innings and winning 8-7 in nine.

In the second game, UHH (18-8, 13-5 PacWest) was ahead 7-2 – Makamae Kaleikini hit a home run in the sixth and Maria Steadmon hit a run-scoring single, then Isabelle Mejia led off the seventh with a double and scored on a single by Skylar Thomas – before the Cougars (12-10, 9-5) rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh, spoiling Valerie Alvarado’s bid for a complete game.

In the top of the ninth, UHH’s Chloe Domingo singled with one out and an error sent her to third, where she would score on a wild pitch.

Leah Gonzales (5-3) got the win in relief.

Billi Derleth looked to be headed to victory in the first game, but the Cougars scored four run in the seventh to tie and won it in the eighth.