UH-Hilo athletics round-up: Softball splits with Azusa Pacific

SOFTBALL

AZUSA. Calif. – It was a reversal of results from the first day of the series as the UH-Hilo Softball team fell to Azusa Pacific, 3-2 (8 innings) and 3-0, Wednesday evening in Pacific West Conference play.

The teams split the series after the Vulcans claimed victories in the first two games — first a shutout followed by a win in extra innings. Wednesday’s encore saw similar results but flipped for the other side.

In the third game, APU’s Katie Korstrom managed to bring in the game-winning walk-off run in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-out two-RBI single up the middle. The Cougars previously got two runners on with base hits to set up two runners in scoring position. Korstrum was also their starting pitcher, going the full 8.0 innings with seven strikeouts while surrendering four hits and one earned run.

After the Cougars got started early with an unearned run in the bottom of the first, UH-Hilo’s Dyoni Garcia slammed her first solo bomb of the season to tie the game in the fifth inning. Both teams got two runners on the basepaths in the sixth inning but ended up leaving them stranded.

Kanoe Piltz and Jayda Favela singled in the top of the eighth to set up a gifted run on a two-out fielding error by APU, giving the Vulcans the 2-1 lead.

Tehani Seto got the start for UH-Hilo and went the whole 7.2 innings, scattering 10 hits for just two earned runs in her first loss of the season.

Kiani Nakamura recorded five assists and four putouts at second base.

In the fourth game, the Vulcans were shutout for the first time this season — mustering up five hits with seven total runners left on base, and only three of them were stranded in scoring position.

APU managed to combine for seven base hits in the fourth and sixth innings to plate three runners across.

Jayda Favela racked up five assists and three putouts at shortstop. Favela also had four assists and two putouts in the first game, along with going 2 for 4 at the plate. Through the early parts of the conference season, Favela leads the PacWest with 46 total defensive assists. Makena Nera follows behind with 32 as Dyoni Garcia tops the number of putouts with 118.

UH-Hilo moved to a 10-6 record (5-5 PacWest) while Azusa Pacific moved to 13-7 overall (7-3 PacWest).

The Vulcans will continue on against Concordia University Irvine today and tommorow, then Biola (March 18-19) before playing six contests as part of the Tournament of Champions, presented by the City of Turlock (March 21-24).

Next home games are March 29-30 against Academy of Art.

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WOMEN’S GOLF

VISTA, Calif. – Elle Otani shot a 70 in the opening round to pace herself to plus-13 final score in this week’s Fujikura Invitational hosted by Cal State San Marcos at the Shadowridge Country Club. Otani followed with round scores of 81 and 78 to finish in a five-way tie at No. 13.

The UH-Hilo Women’s Golf team placed 11th in the team competition with round scores of 304, 322 and 316 for a plus-78 total. It was the first action of the spring for the Vulcans.

Vulcans golfers were seemingly challenged the most on Holes 6-14, combining for 30 bogeys, 13 double bogeys and one quadruple bogey.

Otani’s Round 1 score of two-under par at 70 strokes is a new program mark, one-upping Dayna Bersamin’s 72 (one-under) score at the 2011 Culturame Classic and Kristen Sawada’s 71 (one-under) score at the 15-16 PacWest Championship. The sophomore sank four birdies to overcome two bogeys, placing second on the leader board at the end of the round. Her previous low score was plus-two at 74 shots set at the Vulcans’ last competition at the Dennis Rose Intercollegiate at Waikoloa Village.

Cal State San Marco’s Madison Murr took the spotlight, shooting an opening-round score of 66 (six-under) on the way to claiming her fourth individual win this season.

The Cougars also claimed the team victory, finishing with a 37-plus score at seven strokes ahead of runner-up UT Tyler.

Other Pacific West Conference teams to place were Biola at No. 4 (+55), Point Loma at No. 8 (+68) and HPU at No. 14 (+109)

UH-Hilo will be right back in action today at the nine-team Augustana Spring Fling at the Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California.

The Vulcans will then have two more events at the WT Desert Invitational (April 1-2) and RJGA Palm Valley Classic (April 5-6) before returning home for the PacWest Conference Championship set for April 15-17 at the Mauna Lani Golf Course.

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MEN’S GOLF

UH-Hilo topped five other Pacific West Conference competitors at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout in Alameda this week. In the mini conference preview, the Vulcans finished at +3, 15 shots ahead of nearest conference competitor HPU (+18). UH-Hilo’s top four golfers were (T-17) Dylan Bercan (Even), (T-21) Jacob Torres (+1), (T-26) Dysen Park (+3) and (T-31) Nicholas Gomez (+4). The defending PacWest champs finished just one shot (+2) behind Western Washington and Stanislaus State.