Bas Nooij's homer helps HPU dispatch Cal St. Dominguez Hills

Bas Nooij's homer propels HPU into regional championship round

COMPTON, CA – Bas Nooij belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to give Hawai‘i Pacific a 5-4 comeback win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, lifting the Sea Warriors (39-11) to a rematch with UC San Diego in the championship round of the NCAA II West Regional.

The Sea Warriors and Triton will square off on Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT as the two clubs battle for a berth in the D-II College World Series. HPU needs to win two games - one on Saturday and another on Sunday, while UC San Diego needs just one win in the final two contests to clinch a berth.

Nooij’s homer, his eighth of the season, was the final blow that erased an early 4-0 lead by the 24^th-ranked Toros. Danny March (7-0) pitched the final three innings for HPU, fanning two batters in the ninth inning to seal the win.

Blake Amaral and Lester Akeo each recorded two hits, and Kenny Turner added one hit and one run.

Steve Carillo led CSUDH with two hits and one RBI. Shane Youngdale was tagged with the loss for the Toros, pitching a complete game while allowing four earned runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.