HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team swept tonight's doubleheader over Chaminade on the first night of the 2009 Kama`'aina Classic at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. In the first game, the 'Bows pulled away with a 19-1 win. Pitchers
Stephanie Ricketts and
Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu combined their efforts for a two-hitter. In the second game of the night, UH pitcher,
Jenna Rodriguez fired a perfect game to lead UH over the Silverswords, 4-0.
Game 1: Hawai'i 19, Chaminade 1
The Rainbow Wahine scored early and often in the first game of the night. Overall, the 'Bows had 19 hits with 17 RBI. Both Rodriguez and
Melissa Gonzalez went 3-for-3 at the plate. Rodriguez had a busy day on racking up a double, two runs scored and two RBI. Gonzalez followed suit with a game-high five RBI and one double. Also highlighting Hawai'i's offensive outburst was freshman
Jessica Iwata's two-run home run which sailed high over the leftfield fence.
On the mound, after a slightly shaky start with two walks and a beaned batter to start the game, Ricketts settled down to fire five hitless innings. She finished her outing with six strike outs and three walks while facing just 19 batters. Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu then closed the game out, throwing two innings. She gave up one run on two hits with a walk and a strike out.
For Chaminade, pitcher Chelsi Walls took the loss, giving up eight runs on seven hits with two walks and a strike out in two-and-a-third innings pitched. Kasy'e Lalau finished the game thowing the final three-and-two-thirds innings.
Game 2: Hawai'i 4, Chaminade 0
The second game of the night saw Rodriguez fire a perfect game on her first night in a Rainbow Wahine uniform. The junior college All-American transfer from Yavapai College, retired all 21 batters faced with six strike outs.
On offense the UH was held at bay by Chaminade's starting pitcher Kelly Korras who stifled the 'Bows' bats. She blanked Hawai'i for the first three innings before giving up a single run in the fourth and fifth innings a piece. Overall Korras gave up just the two runs on five hits with two walks and three strike outs. Alycia Wodzak came in relief, but threw only a third of an inning before she had to leave the game after getting hit with a solid line-drive on the leg. The Silverswords' Chelsi Walls threw the final two-thirds of an inning to finish the game.
In the fourth inning, Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu drew a walk to lead the inning off. After a ground out, that moved pinch-runner
Brynne Buchanan to third, Rodriguez helped her own cause by driving in the first run of the game with an opposite-field ground out to second base.
In the third, the 'Bows tacked on another run with an RBI single up the middle by Iwata who drove in
Dara Pagaduan who had started the inning with a walk.
In the sixth, UH added two more runs on a pinch-hit double ripped down the leftfield line by Gonzalez that drove in Rodriguez and pinch-runner,
Mikalemi Tagab-Cruz.
The two teams will finish the pre-season Kama'aina Classic tomorrow morning with their second doubleheader starting at 9:00 am at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
-UH-
