Enough of the open highway.
UH-Hilo’s softball staff returns house for the ultimate eight video games of Aisha Sueda’s debut season as coach, needing six victories to conclude a successful season.
A top-half end within the PacWest Conference is the loftiest objective the Vulcans can aspire to after enduring a season-defining, two-week-plus, four-stop California tour that had its bumps. It ended with acquainted end result: a one-run defeat.
A 4-3 loss Sunday to San Francisco State, wrapping up a 2-3 keep on the Tournament of Champions, was indicative of the staff’s fortunes “in a sense,” Sueda mentioned, and “it being the 16th day on the road trip also caught up to us.”
UHH (14-17) completed with extra one-run losses, six, than wins in going 4-11 on the mainland, and offense continues to come back solely in spurts. Waiakea alum Brandee Chinen hit her first profession house run in an 9-5 win in opposition to Humboldt State on Saturday and Nikki Zielinski hit three house runs on the journey, however in opposition to the highest three groups within the PacWest, UHH managed simply 16 runs in 10 video games.
The lack of run assist has left little margin for error for the pitching employees.
Freshman Alexis Lacy carried the Vulcans within the circle earlier within the season, however she’s misplaced seven consecutive selections regardless of an ERA that hasn’t but cracked 2.00.
“Alexis has performed well, unfortunately our offense couldn’t produce and the games couldn’t fall the way we wanted them to,” Sueda mentioned. “I believe she will be able to perform after some rest and some regrouping once we get back home. Again, this has been a long road trip and a lot of tough losses along the way.”
The newest one was Sunday.
Chloe Domingo’s second hit gave UHH a 3-1 lead within the the highest of the third, however San Francisco State tied the sport within the backside half and knocked out Lacy an inning later. With Malia Risdall pitching within the fifth, UHH coughed up the lead on three errors.
The Vulcans loaded the bases with no out within the seventh however couldn’t get the tying run house when their ultimate two batters struck out and grounded right into a double play.
The Vulcans’ 2.52 ERA ranks third-best within the PacWest, and the pitching employees has been stingiest at house, permitting 9 runs in eighth video games. Sara Bhatt is 8-3 with a 2.02 ERA, and freshman Tehani Soto earned the primary two wins of her profession on the journey. A return to type by Lacy would show invaluable.
“I think moving forward as a young pitcher, she just needs to continue to work on her craft and continue to understand that there is always room for improvement,” Sueda mentioned.
The Vulcans get every week to remainder of earlier than going through Academy of Art in a four-game collection April 11-12, and so they end with doubleheaders in opposition to Hawaii Pacific on April 29 and Chaminade on April 30.
“I think it’s to continue to preach that defense wins games and adjustments need to constantly be made at the plate,” Sueda mentioned of the staff’s focus. “If we can understand and buy into these concepts, we can finish the regular season on a high.”