HILO — Hawai’i Hilo baseball returned to action on the Big Island after a nine-game road trip to secure its first series victory of the season with three wins over Chaminade in Pacific West Conference play at the James “Jimmy” Correa Ballfield at Francis Wong Stadium.
Logan Groff and Orlando Leon Jr. each went the distance on the pitching mound for complete-game victories as Noah Nakaoka, Mason Cook and Braeden Mondeau provided offensive highlights through the four-game series with the inter island Silverswords.
Hawai’i Hilo moved to 7-17 in PacWest play (9-21 overall) as Chaminade moved to a 13-19 conference record (15-22 overall).
PacWest Hawai’i Challenge: The Vulcans earned six points in the baseball section of the PacWest Hawai’i Challenge, a year-long head-to-head competition between the three Division-II schools in Hawai’i. HPU and Chaminade will play each other at the end of the month with the Vulcans taking on the Sharks this weekend. After the completion of the winter season, Chaminade held a one-point overall lead with Hawai’i Hilo and HPU both at a total of 13.
Up next: 5:30 p.m. Friday vs. HPU (Hans L’Orange Park, Waipahu)
Game 1: Chaminade 1, UH-Hilo 7
Vulcans racked up 13 total hits, led by three each from Vance Oshiro (two doubles) and Tui Ickes (one double) — who both combined to score five of the Vulcans runs.
Nakaoka provided mid-game fireworks with a three-run bomb to put the Vulcans up, 5-0, in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Groff earned his second win, going 9.0 innings for his first complete game of the season. The senior tossed six strikeouts with no walks or hit-by-pitch given up. Through conference play, Groff has thrown the third-most innings with 52.1 while ranking No. 5 with 44 strikeouts (tied for second with 15 strikeouts looking).
Game 2: Chaminade 4, UH-Hilo 5 (7)
Cook pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to provide the game-winning walk-off knock to cap a four-run frame to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Mondeau drew a lead-off walk as Ickes and Kalei Alana smacked base hits to load the bases. Nakaoka slammed a ball down the left-field line that got caught behind a hanging banner on the fence. Umpires ruled it a bases-clearing dead-ball double to tie the score at 4-all. Oshiro was intentionally walked and Noah Lane legged out an infield grounder aided by a throwing error to once again juice the bases. Cook pinch hit and knocked a fly ball deep over the right fielder’s head for the win.
Ethan Salscheider made his sixth start of the season, going a solid 5.0 innings with a season-high six strikeouts against just three hits allowed. Braden Lowe earned his first win of the season after entering in the top of the sixth with two runners on base but leaving them stranded after retiring the side in order. In the top of the seventh, Chaminade went three-up, three-down with all going down with three strikes.
Game 3: Chaminade 4, UH-Hilo 3
More magic seemed to continue in the air as the Vulcans nearly pulled off another final-inning comeback but fell just short with the game-tying run left 90 feet away in the bottom of the ninth.
Game 4: Chaminade 5, UH-Hilo 7 (7)
The Vulcans finished with just four hits, but they were well-timed as three of them came as part of a six-run explosion in the bottom of the fifth. Oshiro (single), Cody Min (sacrifice fly) and Mondeau (two-run home run) provided RBI at-bats to capitalize on three walks and two wild pitches.
Leon Jr. made his fifth start of the season and claimed his second complete-game win of the season, scattering 10 hits with seven strikeouts and just two walks allowed. The Silverswords threatened in the final innings by managing to hit two home runs to make it just a two-run ballgame, but Leon Jr. induced the final fly out to end the threat, game and series.
