Brazzlynn Tovio-Asato slides into home for the game-winning run after a hit by Nani Trias at the bottom of the seventh. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Noelle Nakamura slides into third during the seventh after a double by teammate Brazzlynn Tovio-Asato. Nakamura scored a run to tie the game, 8-8, after a hit by Keila Lee that brought her home. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Winning pitcher Megan Yoshioka pitched for 2 innings and allowed only 1 hit and struck out 2 batters to hold Saint Francis down. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Resela Vili was 3-of-4 and batted in 3 RBIs for Saint Francis against Pac-Five. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Nani Trias sets up to bat against Saint Francis pitcher, Caryn Chinen, in the seventh. Trias knocked in the game-winning hit to bring home Brazzlynn Tovio-Asato for a run and Pac-Five's 9-8 victory over Saint Francis. Sean Nakamura | SL

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ALA WAI —  Pac-Five needed every last at-bat to squeak past Saint Francis in a shootout at Ala Wai field Wednesday afternoon.

With runners on first and third in the bottom of the seventh inning, Pac-Five junior centerfielder Nani Trias got her first hit of the game — a slow roller to the right side of the infield — to bring in sophomore Brazzlynn Tovio-Asato for the win.

“We let them know it’s all up to them if they want it or not," Pac-Five coach Cecil Hasegawa said. "I guess they wanted it, they played a little harder."

In a previous meeting the two team played a tight contest that the Wolfpack won last month, by a score of 13-11.

Pac-Five (3-6) jumped out early on the Saints (0-9) in the first inning when sophomore catcher Karley Ann Yoshioka hit a fly ball to left that scored junior shortstop Tatiana Guzman.

The Wolf Pack succeeded again in the next inning by plating a trio of runners — two coming off of freshmen Alisha Candelario's hit into left field. Candelario scored when Guzman, the lead-off hitter lined a ball into left field again to make it 4-0.

The Saints got on the board in the third inning with a fly ball into left from first baseman Resela Vili to plate leadoff hitter Daniele Antolin.

In the bottom of the fourth Pac-Five added three more runs and put Saint Francis into an even deeper hole.  One run came across on a bases loaded walk to Guzman, bringing Cameron Peterson in, and a shot into right field by freshmen Noelle Nakamura scored two more Wolf Pack players, but Guzman and Nakamura were both caught trying to take an extra base and be tagged out at third and second base, respectively.

Trailing 7-1 headed to the top of the fifth stanza Saint Francis’ bats came alive with seven runs to chase Pac-Five starter Khaliah Kahoano. The Saints registered five hits and batted around in the inning, before freshmen Megan Yoshioka came in and shut them down.  

Saint Francis got great production from the bottom of its lineup as their sixth through ninth hitters allied tally a run batted in. 

Shortstop Antolin got her first RBI of the game, at the top of the lineup, with a screamer into left field. Things got interesting when with the bases loaded of Saints and No. 2-batter Kaitlin Santos hit a fly ball into the left-field foul area.  The ball was caught in foul territory, but Yoshioka then threw out the Saints' runner trying to advance to third.  

However, Nakamura’s momentum, in the outfield, carried her into the out of bounds area, called a catch and carry rule, thus letting all the runners advance freely one base.  Pac-Five was able to capture the fly ball out, but unable to record the tag at third that would have ended the inning. Vili ripped a pitch into right-center field to score two more runs and give the Saints the lead for the first time in the ball game at 8-7.

Trailing by one headed into their final at-bats Pac-Five needed to start up its offense that had not scored since the fourth frame.
   
Things started off well as Nakamura earned a five-pitch walk to represent the tying run.  Nakamura advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice when the Saint Francis second baseman mishandled the ball and forced to go to first for the sure out.

The clean-up hitter, Tovio-Asato, hit a ball between the shortstop and left fielder.  Nakamura was only able to advance to third on the play while Tovio-Asato hustled around to reach second base. The next batter, freshmen Keila Lee, hit a hard ground ball up the middle that the second baseman snagged, but was unable to put out Lee at first, allowing Nakamura to tie the ball game and Tovio-Asato to advance to third.

Still with one out, Trias stepped to the plate having gone 0 for 3 in her first at-bats.  After trying to sacrifice herself on the first two pitches, she hit a little ground ball to the first baseman that allowed Tovio-Asato to beat out the play at the plate to score allowing Trias and Pac-Five to walk-off with the win.

“They gave me a sac (signal) and I tried to put it down, but I didn’t so I had to hit and I just put it in play,” Trias said.

"We need to focus on the next game and not make as much mistakes as today," Hasegawa said. "There was some fumbling of the balls that we need to patch up.  We have to tweak the batting a bit because it can be much better than it was today."

The Wolf Pacd and Saints will play Sacred Hearts and Punahou, respectively, Saturday in a televised double header at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.