What started at 3 p.m. Saturday didn’t end until the last half-hour before midnight.
It was all well worth it for UH-Hilo’s baseball team, which pulled off another memorable moment in a season that is becoming defined by them.
The Vulcans stormed back for four runs in the ninth inning to stun Holy Names 5-4 on Marcus Calamese’s single to right, then they waited out a rain delay to win 11-4 and push their winning to 10.
The rally started innocently enough when Jaryn Kanbara singled with one out, but the next six batters all reached base. Dylan Sugimoto, Kyle Yamada (3 for 4) and Casey Yamauchi (3 for 5) each doubled to tie the game. RJ Romo was intentionally walked and Kobie Russell singled to load the bases and set the stage for Calamese.
The improbable comeback spoiled a solid effort by Holy Names ace Garrett O’Callaghan and made a winner of Dylan Spain (4-1), who struck out five in a complete game and yielded nine hits.
The Vuls (20-15, 16-10 Pacific West Conference) and Hawks (14-23, 8-14) will play another doubleheader Monday as UHH holds senior day.
The second game included a 1 hour, 45 minute rain delay, 15 Vuls hits and five shutout innings from Kyle Alcorn (4-3).
Russell belted three hits with three RBIs, including a run-scoring double, and Kanbara also doubled in a run, finishing with three hits and two RBIs.
Kamalu Neal, Yamada, Yamauchi and Romo had two hits each. Yamada’s two-run double made it 7-0 in the fifth and Romo’s second RBI single made it 8-4 after Brandyn Lee-Lehano had a rare rough outing.
Alcorn allowed only two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Lee-Lehano hadn’t allowed a run in 14 innings, but he was touched for four this time while getting just five outs before John Kea worked the final 2 1/3, allowing only a hit and walk with four strikeouts.
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