“Pumped” to the nines, Chloe Domingo said, everything about UH-Hilo’s approach to facing Concordia screamed confidence and comfort.
Whether she knew it or not at the time, that left her more than ready to meet the moment.
Domingo delivered a two-out RBI double in the top of the eighth inning Thursday, and the Vulcans cut down the top-seeded Eagles 4-3 to remain unbeaten at the West Regional in Irvine, Calif.
“I remember I was struggling so much at the plate,” Domingo said. “I’m so proud of myself, so proud of my teammates, but I was finally able to come out clutch.”
The sophomore third baseman’s first hit of the regional scored Vevesi Liilii, who led off the inning with a double, and UHH finally solved Kelsea Sweeney. Valerie Alvarado retired the side in order as the Vuls turned the tables on Concordia, which won a pair of one-run games last week in claiming the PacWest pod series.
“I think we’ve proved we’re someone to be reckoned with,” Domingo said. “We’re a good bunch of girls, and we’re here to bring it.”
From Liilii’s second home run in as many days to Kiarra Lincoln’s blast to Alvarado’s spotless relief appearance, UHH’s resolve should be becoming readily apparent to everyone at Eagles Field. The fifth-seeded Vuls (19-11) advance to face No. 2 Biola (20-13) on Friday. The winner grabs the driver’s seat at a regional that’s been trimmed to four teams, earning two chances to take the title Saturday.
“With Concordia, I always feel confident, because I know they are going to bring it, and we are going to bring it,” Lincoln said. “It’s always about who the better team is (that day).”
UHH shocked ace Callie Nunes in the third. Lincoln led off with a homer to left, and after Darian Obara walked, Liilii belted a shot that cleared the trees and shed beyond the fence in left field, chasing Nunes.
“We made a statement with the home runs by Kiarra and Vevesi,” coach Callen Perreira said, “and that gave us a lot of confidence.”
Alvarado’s statement was clear as well. The senior right-hander backed her shutout a day earlier with three innings of scoreless relief, avoiding trouble in the seventh by inducing a pop bunt with the winning run on second and turning it into a double play. Improving to 7-4, she struck out two and walked two.
“Val did her job again,” Perreira said. “She always gets pumped up for Concordia.
“She’s never really relieved before, but I (told) Val, ‘This is a big game, you need to go in and do it for the team.’ She was a little sore, but she warmed up, and was fine after that. The adrenaline took over.”
Biola got a three-hit, 11-strikeout performance from Austin Page in a 4-3 win against Northwest Nazarene, and Concordia (31-12) rebounded later in the day to eliminate Northwest Nazarene with a 9-0 win to set up Friday’s tripleheader. The Vuls and Biola play at 9 a.m., followed by Concordia and Central Washington in an elimination game at 11:30 a.m. The UHH-Biola loser faces either Concordia or Central Washington in an elimination game at 2 p.m.
“I was expecting something tight again today,” Concordia coach Crystal Rosenthal said. “Hats off to Hilo, they came out swinging the bats.”
That’s what confidence and comfort can do for a team.
“We were pumped coming in,” Domingo said. “We (couldn’t) wait to face Concordia again. They are such a great team, so much respect for them.”
Starter Leah Gonzales allowed only a walk her first time through the order, but in the fourth she allowed two singles and Missy Nemeth’s home run to center to tie the game 3-3. Gonzales worked five innings and allowed four hits with a walk.
“They spotted the ball well all game, so it felt good to get one off their pitchers,” Nemeth said of her eighth home run of the season.
Striking out two in six innings, Sweeney (7-4) had allowed only one hit until Liilii and Domingo struck in the eighth.
“Honestly, in a game like this, no one should lose,” Perreira said.