The Hawaii Pacific baseball team faced a tough challenge with a 5-0 loss to Concordia Irvine during the PacWest Conference championships. Despite this setback, the Sharks remain determined to keep swimming in the tournament. They must win their remaining games to stay in contention until Saturday.
Coach Dane Fujinaka’s team, seeded second with a record of 30-21, will face Point Loma in an elimination game on Friday at 8 a.m. Hawaii time. If they emerge victorious, they will have another opportunity to compete later that day at 4 p.m. CUI will take on defending champion Azusa Pacific in the winners’ bracket, setting up a potential showdown between HPU and Point Loma against the loser of that game.
HPU entered the tournament with a six-game winning streak and their first 30-win season since 2016. However, they were stifled by CUI’s pitcher Jake Covey, who threw a four-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. Despite effective relief from Makana Quia and Vicente Molina, the Sharks struggled to generate offense, with no runner advancing past second base.
Conor Hourigan took the loss for HPU after giving up five runs in six innings. CUI’s Michael Dixon had an outstanding performance with four hits, while Wyatt Madison hit a three-run homer to secure the victory for CUI. The Sharks are eager to bounce back and prove their worth in their next game.
Despite their recent defeat, Hawaii Pacific remains optimistic about their chances of making it through the tournament until Saturday’s final round if they can win their next games against Point Loma on Friday morning at 8 am local time (Hawaii time).