FULLERTON – A pair of grand slams from Matias Nolasco and Isaiah Lane lifted the Hope International baseball team to 10-0 and 5-2 victories over visiting Park Gilbert on Friday at Amerige Park, clinching the GSAC outright regular season title for the third straight year under head coach Larry Mahoney.

The Royals improved to 33-12 overall and 21-5 in the GSAC. Mahoney surpassed the career 200-win barrier last week at Arizona Christian, and is now 202-62 in his four-plus seasons with the Royals.

HIU continued its home run hitting tear, having posted 21 over the last 13 games. In addition to the grand slams from Nolasco and Lane, Royce Clayton contributed a three-run jack as well as 11 of the 15 runs scored this afternoon resulted via the home run.

Franky Lopez and James Williams were outstanding on the mound, striking out a combined 18 Buccaneers.

Game 1 – Hope International 10, Park Gilbert 0 (7)
HIU won by run-rule, aided by a five-run first inning. Park Gilbert starter Alex Buchanan was victimized by his defense, as Hunter Essang reached base following a two-out error by the third baseman.

Colby Moran followed with a single and Eddie Cotto walked to load the bases. Eric Valdivia got hit by the pitch to bring in Essang for the 1-0 lead. Nolasco then turned on a 2-1 pitch, depositing it over the left field wall for the 5-0 advantage.

All five runs charged to Buchanan were unearned.

HIU extended the lead to 7-0 with two more runs in the fourth. Lane's RBI double scored David Shackelford from first following a one-out walk. Moran then drove in Essang with an RBI single.

Buchanan allowed just five hits in his 6.0 innings, while only two of his seven runs surrendered were earned. He struck out eight. 

Santiago DiBene took over in the seventh, and walked Cotto to start the inning. After registering the first out, DiBene got Nolasco to hit a routine grounder to third, but an error put two runners aboard. DiBene got out number two on a pop out, but Clayton ended the game on a three-run shot to right center.

Three more unearned runs gave HIU the 10-0 victory.

Lopez registered the five-hit shutout, walking just one and fanning eight in an efficient 85-pitch outing. He has struck out 25 over his last three GSAC starts.

After allowing back-to-back singles to start the game, Lopez whiffed the next three hitters on called three strikes to escape damage. He struck out the side in the fourth and induced Park Gilbert into two double play grounders. He sat down the final eight Buccaneers batters to improve to 5-3 on the season.

Buchanan fell to 0-7 with the loss.

Game 2 – Hope International 5, Park Gilbert 2
Williams drew his second starting assignment of the season and fanned a career-high 10 hitters in 4.0 innings of work.

His strikeout total doubled his previous career-best of five on February 10 against Whittier College. Williams used a nasty slider to keep the Buccaneers flailing throughout his stint, including striking out the first three hitters of the game on swings.

He struck out six of the first nine hitters he faced, while his counterpart Zach Garrard also was impressive in retiring six of the first seven Royals through two innings.

But Garrard ran into control issues in the third, and HIU made him pay. With one out, the Royals loaded the bases via a hit by pitch and two walks. Garrard's 3-0 pitch to Lane was right down the middle, and the shortstop blasted it over the center field wall for the second grand slam of the game.

HIU extended the lead to 5-0 in the sixth as David Allen singled and stole second, coming home on a Spencer Davis base hit.

Williams struck out his seventh batter to begin the fourth, but a wild pitch on strike three allowed Ben Castellon to safely reach first base. The Buccaneers loaded the bases following two singles from Tommy Pinnow and Christopher Ballard, but Williams got three more swinging strikeouts to finish off his outing.

Adan Young and Justin Allen each threw an inning of scoreless relief. The Buccaneers got on the board with a pair of runs in the seventh, breaking a 13-inning scoreless streak in the doubleheader. Castellon's double down the right field line plated two runs, and Park Gilbert had the tying run at the plate in Pinnow.

However, Logan Long struck out Pinnow looking to earn his first save. Williams moved to 3-1 on the season with the win, while Garrard fell to 0-3 with the loss.

HIU hosts Park Gilbert for a doubleheader on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The Royals will celebrate Senior Day, honoring Ivan Barragan, Clayton, Davis, Nathan Estrada, Josh Landry, Moran, Matthew Pinal, Shackelford, Nathaniel Slaman, Ryan Sveningson and Tyler Tilton.