HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Vanguard baseball stayed within striking distance until Hawaii Pacific scored six runs in the seventh, invoking the mercy rule in an 11-1 PacWest loss on Friday at Hans L'Orange Park.

The Lions have been outscored 23-3 over the first two games of the series. Rain delayed the start of the game by several hours.

HPU scored two in the second, two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to build a 5-0 lead off VU starter Jake Hiner.

The Lions notched their lone run in the seventh on a Tyler Shigenaka single, which scored Noah Madole.

Noah Blythe homered to lead off the seventh to give the Sharks a 6-1 lead. HPU loaded the bases off VU reliever Mitch Hunter, and Andrew Nykoluk slapped a two-RBI double to center. Frankie Peralez followed with a two-RBI single, and Bronson Rivera ended the scoring with a run-scoring triple.

Hiner took the loss to fall to 5-4. HPU starter Jayden Gabrillo tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six. He improved to 4-3 on the season.

What's Next?: The Lions and Sharks will attempt to get a doubleheader in on Saturday, with the first game scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (PT).