The Eagles have it.
Biola and Concordia powered into the NCAA Division II West Region championship game Friday after each tagged UH-Hilo with a mercy rule victory, ending the Vulcans’ season in Irvine, Calif.
In an elimination game, Concordia’s Eagles beat the Vuls 12-3, with Vevesi Liilii’s third home run of the tournament providing one of the few bright spots on a day that began with so much promise for UHH.
Earlier in the winner’s bracket, Paige Austin threw a three-hitter as Biola’s Eagles blanked UHH 9-0.
The Vuls (19-13) used all five of their pitchers on the day, starting with Leah Gonzales (7-3), who departed after the first four Biola batters reached in the third inning as the Eagles took a 2-0 lead.
Gonzales (2 1/3 inning), Sara Bhatt (1 2/3), Nia Trinidad (1) and Malia Risdall (1) combined to allow 12 hits and seven walks with just two strikeouts. Biola tacked on three runs in the fifth, Kaitlyn Hawkins hit a two-run single, and four more in the sixth, Raylene Roybal’s hit scored two, to move one win away from clinching a berth at the NCAA championships.
Looking to beat Concordia for the second consecutive day, Valerie Alvarado was touched for her first runs of the tournament when Sydney Sprinkle hit a two-run home run in the first.
With starter Erika Morris (6-1) breezing along, UHH hadn’t scored in 11 innings until Liilii led off the sixth with a home run, but by then it trailed 12-1 after Concordia scored seven runs in the top of the sixth.
Megan Massa hit an RBI single in the second and a two-run double in the third. In the sixth, Sprinkle made it 8-0 with a three-run double, and Jocelyn Pino capped the big inning with a three-run home run off of Gonzales, who came in to relieve Alvarado (7-5) with two outs in the sixth. Alvarado walked six and struck out four, allowing seven hits and eight runs.
Skylar Thomas was 3 for 3, including an RBI double, for UHH and Nikki Zielinski had two hits.
Morris only struck out one but didn’t walk a batter in working around eight hits.
Earlier, Concordia stayed alive with a 9-2 win against Central Washington. It will have to beat Biola twice Saturday to advance to nationals.
Austin (12-5) has picked up both wins for Biola at the regional. Against the Vuls, she walked three and struck out six.
