HILO, Hawaii – The Fresno Pacific baseball was tripped up on Thursday evening, falling in the opener of a four-game road series against Hawai'i Hilo in PacWest Conference action.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: Hawai'i Hilo 3, Fresno Pacific 1
Records: FPU (5-9, 2-3 PacWest), UHH (5-9, 3-4 PacWest)
Location: Wong Stadium | Hilo, Hawaii
Series: FPU leads 16-9
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Vulcans got on the board first, striking for two unearned runs in the first inning of the series.
• A wild pitch allowed UHH centerfielder Kyle Yamada to extend the lead to 3-0 in the third.
• The two teams exchanged zeroes until the top of the ninth, when a double off the bat of Dylan Lewis brought in FPU's lone run of the day.
• The Sunbirds would get no closer, as the next three hitters struck out to end the game. 
 
STATS FROM THE DAY
• Michael Warkentin picked up three of FPU's eight hits for the day.        
• Esteban Lizaola was hit with the hard luck loss after allowing just one earned run and fanning eight Vulcans over 6.1 innings of work.
• Kobie Anton picked up the final five outs out of the FPU 'pen, overcoming a hit for an otherwise perfect relief appearance.  
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• FPU's team ERA is back below 3.00 for the season, and it currently stands at 2.92, the second-best mark in the league.
 
SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds and Vulcans return to action with another stand-alone game on Friday. First pitch from Wong Stadium is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PST.