SHREVEPORT, LA -
Paula Blanning tossed a career-best 1-hitter at Centenary tonight to earn Hawai'i a split in a non-conference doubleheader.
Blanning (2-1), pitching in only her seventh game and third start, tossed the one hitter as the Rainbow Wahine won 8-0 in six innings due to the NCAA 8-run rule.
The redshirt freshman from Berowra, Australia, struck out four and did not walk a batter as she tossed her second complete-game of the season. Her other gem in the circle was at Fresno State.
Hawai'i got the scoring underway in the fourth inning as Denise Dahlberg picked up a one-out single. She moved to third in back-to-back wild pitches. April Crowell drew a walk and was pinch-run for by Tara Harbert, coming back after about a month off because of a hip injury. Harbert moved to second as Stacey Porter was walked intentionally to load the bases. Dahlberg scored on Kathryn Judd's RBI single to keep the bases juiced. Trisha Ramos' grounder to short was misplayed scoring both Harbert and Porter to make it 3-0 after three.
UH tacked on five more runs in the top of the sixth highlighted by Marie Jackson's grand slam.
"We gave almost everyone on the trip a chance to get some action today," head coach Bob Coolen said.
In game one, UH's Shannon Tabion (5-8) suffered the loss as she walked four batters and the defense committed three errors resulting in four unearned runs as Centenary came from behind to win, 4-3.
"We didn't show up for the first game," Coolen said. "We did gain some momentum heading into Ruston following the 8-0 win, though."
UH scored first in the third as Dahlberg hit a two-out single to right and came home on Crowell's 11th round tripper of the season to right.
The Ladies responded with one in the bottom of the inning and put up three more runs in the fourth on one hit and two very costly UH errors.
UH pulled to within one on Porter's 260-foot homer to right, her 14th, to right in the sixth.
"I gave Melissa (Coogan) the day off because I may need her to throw all four games this weekend," Coolen said.
UH finishes up the regular season with a four-game Western Athletic Conference series at Louisiana Tech May 2-3.
