Before Tuesday’s season-ending doubleheader against Academy of Art, University of Hawaii at Hilo baseball coach Joey Estrella said that he would be happy if his starting pitchers would give him at least five innings of quality baseball.
Tyler Simao didn’t think that five would be enough.
The senior right-hander tossed a complete game shutout in UH Hilo’s 4-0 win over Academy of Art in game one of Tuesday’s double-dip at Wong Stadium. Simao (2-7) tossed 125 pitches in the nine inning effort, allowing only six hits with three walks and two wild pitches, while striking out eight Urban Knights.
Simao was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Wade Broadstreet, who at times, outdueled Simao by picking up nine strikeouts of his own. But, the Vulcans would get to him in the sixth inning. With one out, Tyler Nitahara, Jordan Murai, and John Abreu all singled consecutively to load the bases. The next batter, Joshua Wong, drove Nitahara home with a sacrifice fly RBI. With two out, Steven Riddle singled into center field, bringing home Murai and Abreu to give UHH a 3-0 lead.
In the eighth, the Vulcans were able to scratch an insurance run home, as Murai scored on a wild pitch to extend the UHH lead to 4-0.
Simao faced intense pressure in the ninth by loading the bases. Niko Leite struck out swinging, but a dropped third strike that rolled to the backstop allowed Leite to reach base. Stefen Henderson followed with a walk, and two batters later, Chris Holmes walked on four pitches. But, Simao bore down, striking out Michael Reyes looking and getting pinch hitter Jared DePatto to fly out to center field to end the game.
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Broadstreet (0-11) pitched well in seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out nine and allowing a walk. Henderson pitched the eighth and allowed the fourth run to score on a wild pitch. He also issued a walk.
Johnathan James collected two hits in three at bats, singling in the first and doubling in the sixth. Myles Babbitt and Kenny Rollins picked up two hits each for the Urban Knights.
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Academy of Art Scores in Final Inning to Defeat UHH
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Academy of Art scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning off of senior Bryan Raines to break a 2-2 tie and salvage a game in their series with UH Hilo, winning 6-2 over the Vulcans.
Academy of Art (6-40, 6-30) got a one out ground-rule double from first baseman Stefen Henderson. After Devin Mason walked to get runners at first and second base, Kenny Rollins hit an RBI single to center field to give the Urban Knights a 3-2 lead. Zach Babitt followed with an RBI single to left-center field to extend the lead to two, ending the day for Raines. Patrick Fletcher came in and immediately allowed a 2-Run single to Myles Babitt to push the lead to four.
A win seemed improbable for the Urban Knights after a rough first inning for starter Myles Babitt. He hit the leadoff batter, John Abreu, who later took second base on a wild pitch, and after a sacrifice bunt, later scored on another wild pitch. Johnathan James later walked, and after another walk to Steven Riddle and a single by Tyson Goo, James scored on a walk to Brad Fairweather. Coach Brian Guinn came out for his second visit and said something to Babitt, which got him to calm down, because he struck out two to wrap up the inning, and eventually set down six in a row in the game.
The Urban Knights scratched back with a run in the second inning, when Stefen Henderson singled to right center field to score Bryce Hutchings.
In the fifth, Devin Mason lead the inning off by getting hit by a pitch. After stealing second, he moved to third on a Rollins ground ball out. Zach Babitt wasn’t able to bring him in after a ground out to second base with the infield in, but with two out, Mason scored on his own, stealing home on Raines, tying the game at two.
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Raines’ final appearance as a Vulcan did not go as hoped, as he picked up the loss. Raines (1-8) pitched six-and-a-third innings, allowing six runs, four of them earned, on six hits, striking out six, and walking one, while hitting two batters. Patrick Fletcher finished the inning, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing a hit.
Bryce Hutchings moved over from center field in the fifth and picked up the win in relief of Babitt. Babitt allowed two runs on one hit, walking six and striking out four. Hutchings (2-1) went the next inning and two-third, allowing only one hit and picking up a strike out. Ryan Donahoe picked up the save, striking out the side after allowing two men on in the bottom of the seventh.
Not only did Hutchings pick up the win, but he also picked up a few hits and scored a run. Henderson went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Myles Babitt drive in two runs.
Brad Fairweather had the only RBI for the Vulcans on the first inning walk, and James and Goo picked up the only hits for UHH.
The Vulcans end the season with a 15-33 record, 12-27 in the PacWest conference.
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