FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team picked up two PacWest Conference victories on Monday, defeating Hawai'i Hilo 3-0 in the opener and 5-2 in the series finale. The pair of wins allows the Sunbirds to split the regular season series 2-2 against the Vulcans for the second straight season.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Game 1: Fresno Pacific 3, Hawai'i Hilo 0 | Game 2: Fresno Pacific 5, Hawai'i Hilo 2
Records: FPU (11-11, 8-8 PacWest), UHH (12-12, 8-8)
Location: FPU Diamond | Fresno, Calif.   
All-Time Series: FPU leads 16-8
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QUOTABLE:
"There were so many ups and downs throughout this series, but our guys showed a lot of heart today. We were at a fork in the road, and our backs were against the wall. We needed guys to lay it all out there, and that's exactly what we got. Offensively, we strung together quality at-bats, and that's a proven recipe for success. On the mound, I couldn't have asked for more than what we got from each of our starters in this series, and they kept us in the game. We're in a stretch of a lot of games jammed together on the schedule, but I think it's allowing us to finally get into the flow of the season. Hopefully, we can use this as we move forward into the next series." – head coach Oscar Hirsckorn
 
GAME 1:  
• The Sunbirds and Vulcans exchanged missed opportunities for the first six innings before the home nine finally broke through in the seventh.
• Tristen Alvarez reached on a one-out error, and Eddie Sievers walked on four straight pitches two batters later.
• Adam Aleman drove a ball to the gap in left-center to plate both, giving FPU the first lead of the afternoon.
• Catcher Braden Frankfort drew the second walk of the frame, and Hunter Villanueva followed with a single through the left side to bring Aleman in for the game's final run.
• Following the lead of Esteban Lizaola and Alex Garcia on Saturday, FPU starter Nic Boatman pitched into the ninth before giving way to the bullpen.
• A leadoff liner in the ninth forced Boatman from the game, and each of the next two hitters reached off reliever Kobie Anton.
• With the bases loaded and nobody out, the Sunbirds gave the ball to southpaw Tyler Rumbaugh, who answered with a strikeout and a double play to notch his first career save.
 
GAME 2:
• FPU struck first in the nightcap, taking advantage of a Vulcan error and a passed ball to score the game's first run in the second inning.
• Aleman doubled to open the Sunbird half of the third and trotted in to score on a sac fly off the bat of Ross Dodds.
• The big inning for the FPU offense came in the fourth, when five players singled and Eddie Sievers' three-run home run helped push the lead to 5-0.
• Hawai'i Hilo began the fifth with consecutive doubles from Edison Sakata and Dylan Sugimoto, and both came in to score to get the Vulcans on the board for the first time in 13 innings.
• Josue Mendivil went the distance for Fresno Pacific, tossing seven innings and picking up six strikeouts, setting new season-highs in both categories.
 
ON DECK:
• The Sunbirds will face a quick turnaround and kick off a four-game league series with Hawai'i Pacific on Thursday evening. First pitch from FPU Diamond is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.