GAME 1:
Hope International capitalized on early opportunities while Benedictine was unable to cash in on repeated baserunners, as the Redhawks dropped the opener of the series 6–2 in Fullerton.
HIU struck quickly in the first, scoring three runs on three hits—two of them RBI doubles—and benefiting from a misplay in left that allowed an additional run to cross. Benedictine had a chance to answer in the second after singles by
Javier Rochin and
Anthony Setticasi, but a groundout left two runners stranded.
The Royals added three more in the second, stringing together four hits and a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 6–0 before Benedictine reliever
Anthony Del Rio came in to stop further damage.
From that point forward, the Redhawks' pitching settled in. Del Rio and
Ben Hanson combined for
six scoreless innings, allowing only five hits the rest of the way.
Offensively, Benedictine continued to battle, collecting hits in five straight innings. Their breakthrough came in the fifth when
Ben Schnurman launched a two-run homer to right, scoring pinch-runner
Austin Reiten and cutting the deficit to 6–2.
The Redhawks threatened again in the sixth and eighth—Rochin recorded his third hit of the game in the eighth inning—but could not find the timely knock to extend the rally. Benedictine put the leadoff man aboard in the ninth and brought the tying run to the on-deck circle, but a pair of flyouts ended the game.
GAME 2:
Pitching took center stage in Game 2, with both teams trading zeros early and limiting offensive momentum. But defensive miscues cost the Redhawks late as HIU used a three-run sixth to break open a tight contest, winning 3–1.
After a quick first inning, Benedictine struck first in the second.
Tyler Jackson reached on an error, and
Anthony Setticasi made the Royals pay, ripping an RBI double to left-center to give the Redhawks a 1–0 lead.
Meanwhile, Benedictine's pitching staff kept Hope International off balance. The Redhawks worked out of trouble in the second and held the Royals scoreless through five complete, highlighted by a bases-loaded double play in the fifth to preserve the lead.
Hope, however, broke through in the sixth after a leadoff single. A pair of fielding errors extended the inning, and HIU capitalized with a two-run single and a sacrifice bunt to push across three unearned runs, swinging momentum and taking a 3–1 edge.
Setticasi picked up another hit in the fourth, but the Redhawks were otherwise stifled by the Royals' pitching, managing just three hits over the final five innings. Hope completed the sweep by retiring Benedictine in order in the seventh.
