Box Score
HONOLULU - Hawai`i downed Texas-Arlington 10-4 in their season opener at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Freshman
Justine Smethurst earned her first collegiate victory, throwing 4.0 innings, giving up four runs, three hits, four walks, and four strike outs. Sophomore
Kate Robinson then stifled UTA, allowing only one hit and striking out two in 3.0 innings of work for the save.
Hawai`i jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The inning was highlighted by a two run double down the leftfield line by freshman centerfielder Tanisha Milca. The hit, which came in Milca's first collegiate at bat, drove in Tyleen Tausaga, who walked, and Audrey Andrade who had reached on an infield single. Milca, who on the play advanced to third when the leftfielder mishandled the ball in the corner, eventually scored off an Alana Power single to left.
After shutting down the Mavericks the first three innings, Smethurst ran into some trouble in the fourth. With one out, UTA rightfielder Autumn Petrino hit a triple to left-centerfield. The next two batters, catcher Courtni Anderson and April Clougherty both walked. That set the table for leftfielder Katie Jones who promptly hit a double inside the rightfield line, scoring two runs. Both Clougherty and Jones eventually scored on a pair of wild pitches to knot the game at 4-4.
But the Rainbow Wahine responded immediately in the bottom of the inning. Freshman third baseman Clare Warwick hit a line shot home run that left the field in a hurry to straightaway center. It was Warwick's first hit as a Rainbow Wahine. Three batters later, Tausaga crushed a deep home run over the center field wall driving in sophomore shortstop Valana Manuma.
Hawai`i extended their lead in the fifth. Milca led the inning off with a single up the middle. She alertly took second when the UTA defense got lax on the ending of the play. Junior second baseman Alana Power walked, and freshman Richie Anne Titcomb entered as a pinch runner for Power. Milca and Titcomb executed a double steal. That left runners on second and third for Robinson, who then hit a single past a drawn-in infield to left, scoring Milca. Senior catcher Kristi Yoshizawa stepped to the plate and hit a sharp, two-run single down the rightfield line, scoring Titcomb and Robinson.
UTA fell to 0-2 on the tournament and the year. Hawai`i is 1-0 and will face BYU at 4:00 p.m. and Southern Mississippi at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow in day two of the tournament.
The leading hitters for the Rainbow Wahine were:
Tausaga: 2-3,two runs, two RBI, home run
Warwick: home run
V. Manuma: 3-4, two runs
Milca: 2-3, two runs, two RBI, double
Andrade: 2-4, one run, double
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In earlier action...
Game One: No. 25 Brigham Young 5 vs. Southern Mississippi 4
Brigham Young built a 5-1 lead, highlighted by a two-run bomb over the leftfield fence by Ianeta Le`i that drove in Monica Gonzalez who had reached on a single earlier in the inning. But a scrappy Southern Mississippi squad fought back in the top of the seventh, getting three straight singles to start the inning off by Jennifer Fox, Ashley Davis, and Charity Butler. Kristin Pilgrim hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Davis. A batter later, pinch hitter Krystal Crooks came in and cranked a double to left center to bring Butler home for the Golden Eagles' fourth run of the game.
WP - Summer Tobias
LP - Lacey Gros
Leading Hitters:
BYU: Gonzalez - 2-3, run scored, RBI; Le`i - home run, 2 RBI; Tracee Hoch - home run
USM: Crooks - double
Game Two: No. 25 Brigham Young 2, Loyola Marymount 1
In a pitcher's duel, BYU's Daniella Urincho got the victory even though Tiffany Pagano held the Cougars hitless through 5.2 innings. BYU scored both runs in the top of the sixth. After striking out the first two batters in the inning, it was an error by the shortstop that seemed to open the flood gates. Pagano couldn't find the strike zone, walking the next four batters in a row. The two runs were walked in. Krystal Kehr came in relief to get a strike out for the third out. The first hit of the game for BYU came in the top of the seventh when Tracee Hoch hit a single to left.
LMU got on the scoreboard first, scoring a single run in the bottom of the third. Margo Pineda hit a double to centerfield that drove in Megan Ackerman.
Pagano threw 5.2 innings, gave up no hits, but had two runs scored on seven walks and nine strike outs. For BYU Urincho got the complete game win, throwing 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, one earned run, with three walks and two strike outs.
GAME 3: Texas State 9, Southern Miss 0 (5 innings)
Texas State hurler Kati Trahan fired a no-hitter to propel her Bobcats to a 9-0 victory over Southern Mississippi. Trahan threw 5.0 innings, struck out seven while walking two.
On offense, the Bobcats struck early and often, scoring at least one run in every inning. Leading hitters for Texas State were: Amy Hromadka - 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Kristin Gunter - 3-4, two runs, two RBI, double; Ashton Peters - 2-3, 2 RBI; Alex Newton - 2-3, two runs, double.
Game Four: LMU vs. Texas-Arlington
A scoreless game through four, the Lions and Mavericks scored in bunches in the last three innings, with LMU holding off a rallying UTA squad, which scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Samantha Lavino got the victory, pitching 6.0 innings, scattering seven hits, giving up five runs on six walks and three strike outs. Jill Garro got the loss for UTA, giving up four runs on five hits, no walks and two strike outs in 5.1 innings.
Leading hitters:
LMU: Tracy Cook 2-4, two runs; Brittany Bassett 2-4, one run; Kirsten Slouber 2-4, two runs, two RBI, double; Kirsten Whitt home run.
UTA: DJ Nelson 2-3, one run, three RBI, double; Autumn Petrino 2-3, one run.
