SANRAFAEL, California – It was a roller coaster day for the Vulcans as Hawai’i Hilo Softball took down Biola in an 11-inning marathon before narrowly falling to Azusa Pacific to end its run in the Pacific West Conference Championship and bringing the season to a close.
Freshman Victoria Macias had a seven-hit outing in the doubleheader, going 5-for-5 in the win over Biola. Lexie Tilton combined for five hits and Chenoa Cainglit tallied three hits as both knocked solo homers.
“Very long day of softball,” Vulcans third-year head coach Aisha Sueda said. “Like I told these girls, they may not have realized but they played 18 Innings today so just very proud of what they have accomplished this season. It’s not the way we wanted it to end but for these girls to continue to compete ‘till the end — that’s what they did, so again, very proud of the girls and the team.”
The Vulcans finish the season at 26-17 overall in head coach Aisha Sueda’s third year at the helm. Hawai’i Hilo earned the No. 3 seed for the double-elimination postseason tournament after posting an 18-10 record in conference play.
“I think moving forward it’s just really sticking with what they’ve been doing,” she said. “What I definitely loved with this team … the fight. They were just very competitive. A lot of grit in them. A lot of heart, and at the end of the day, that’s all I asked for was to be competitive and just leave everything out on the field so big difference I believe for the past few years.”
Up next
The 2024 season is not officially over yet for UH-Hilo, as the NCAA Selection Show is set for Monday, May 6 on NCAA.com. Eight total teams, including the three conference champions from the PacWest Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association and Great Northwest Athletic Conference, will qualify for NCAA West Regional play.
However, the Vulcans have not yet appeared in the 10-team NCAA West Region Rankings released throughout the regular season and postseason.