Box Score
HONOLULU - UC Santa Barbara (11-9) rallied for two runs, with two outs in the top of the seventh, breaking open a scoreless game to defeat Hawai`i, 2-0, in the Hawaiian Airlines Spring Fling, Friday night at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
UCSB's Ginger Gutierrez earned the win by shutting down the Rainbow Wahine, giving up no runs, on five hits, while walking two and striking out three in 7.0 innings of work.
UH's Justine Smethurst took a no-hitter into the fifth, before giving up a single. She held the Gauchos scoreless for 6 and two-thirds innings. But, with two outs in the top of the seventh, she walked Brittany Putich. Jennifer Davis than stepped to the plate and drove a double to the right centerfield gap to score a racing Putich who scored from first to notch the first run of the game. Shelly Hensler then came up with UCSB's third to score Davis from second to extend their lead to 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh.
For the game, Smethurst threw 7.0 innings, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and five strike outs.
In the second, UH had its best scoring opportunity. Tyleen Tausaga led the inning off with a double to left-centerfield. Two batters later, Valana Manuma walked and Kristi Yoshizawa hit a single up the middle to load the bases with only one out. Gail Matsushima then hit a line drive right to the third baseman who tagged out Tausaga for the third out.
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UNLV 2, Penn State 5
In the bottom of the seventh, Penn State's Danielle Kinley hit a walk-off grand slam to come back and defeat UNLV in the first game of day two of the tournament. It was the second walk-off win for the Nittany Lions in two days of play.
In a pitcher's duel, it was UNLV who scored first, breaking up Missy Beseres' no-hitter in the top of the sixth. The inning's leadoff batter, Bollinger hit a single up the middle. Nichols executed a sacrifice bunt to push Bollinger into scoring position. Freight came up to bat and singled to right, moving Bollinger to third. Next, Liveri hit a ground ball to right. She was thrown out at first, but Bollinger scored easily from third.
Penn State responded immediately, getting the run back in the bottom of the sixth. Jen Williams led the inning off with a bunt single. Kinley then laid down another bunt the was fielded cleanly but mishandled by the second baseman covering first. That moved the speedy Williams to third, and placing Nittany Lions at the corners. The coach then called a squeeze play that was executed perfectly with Williams scoring to even the score at 1-1.
UNLV jumped back in front with a lead off home run by Fearn over the centerfield fence, to go up 2-1. But in the bottom of the seventh, Leigh Murray led the inning off with a single to center. Two batters later, Destinie Chavez got a single to right. The next batter, pinch hitter Shana Madura drew a walk to load the bases. Two batters later, with two outs in the inning, Kinley came up big with the walk-off grand slam, to win the game 5-2.
Crisp threw the complete game for the Rebels, firing 6.2 innings, while giving up five runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out five. For the Nittany Lions, it was Beseres who earned the win, taking a no-hitter into the sixth. She gave up two runs on two hits with two walks and nine strike outs.
Leading hitters
Penn State:
Chavez: 2-3, run scored
Kinley: grand slam, four RBI
UNLV
Fearn: home run
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Penn State 2, Longwood 1
Longwood broke on top first with a single run in the bottom of the second. Pepper Wilson led the inning off with a single to rightfield. Teri Flint then moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt. Wilson then scored from second, two batters later on a hit to second base that squirted into right, putting Longwood up 1-0.
Penn State would get that run back in the bottom of the third. Jenn Reynolds led the inning off with a single to right. Destinie Chavez executed a sacrifice bunt to move Reynolds into scoring position for Jen Williams who had a single to center to score Reynolds from second. That tied the score at 1-1.
It stayed a tied ballgame until the fifth, when Chavez led the inning off with a walk. Kelsey Francisco pinch ran for Chavez. Meghan Wolfer sacrifice bunted to move Francisco to second. Longwood had a wild pitch that advanced Francisco to third, but the catcher tried a late throw to third, and fired it high into leftfield to score Francisco for what would prove to be the winning run.
Ashley Esparza got the win in relief, throwing 4.2 innings. She gave up no runs and no hits while striking out seven Lancers with no walks.
Rachel Mills picked up the loss for Longwood, throwing 5.2 innings. She yielded two runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
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UC Santa Barbara 2, UNLV 0
UC Santa Barbara broke a scoreless tie in the third inning. Hensler led the inning off with a single to short. Two batters later, Ramos was hit by a pitch, placing runners at first and second. Hejna drew a walk to load the bases. Singley hit a ground ball to second that bounced off of the second baseman and dribbled into right field, scoring both Hensler and Ramos on the play.
Both pitchers went the distance, throwing complete games. For the Gauchos, Davis earned the win, throwing 7.0 innings, giving allowing no runs, on three hits, with five walks and nine strike outs. UNLV's Robinson fired a two-hitter in the loss, giving up two runs while walking two and striking out three.
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