Box Score

LAS VEGAS - Junior first baseman Kate Robinson hit two home runs to lift Hawai`i (6-2) over Colorado State (4-5), 9-5. Sophomore pitcher Courtney Baughman got the win, pitching 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on six hits with one walk and six strike outs. It was Hawai`i's second game in the Louisville-Slugger Desert Classic hosted by UNLV.

UH got off to a quick start, scoring a single run in the top of the first. Richie-Anne Titcomb led the game off by getting hit by the pitch, on the first pitch of the game. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Clare Warwick. After a ground out to short, Tyleen Tausaga hit a single up the middle to score Titcomb from second.

In the second inning, Hawai`i added to their score. Katie Grimes started a rally with two outs with a single to right-center. Alana Power then crushed a two-run home run deep over the leftfield fence. For both, it was their first hits of the season. That put UH up 3-0 after one-and-a-half innings.

Colorado State responded, scoring a single run in the bottom of the second. Julia Kloppe led the inning off with a double to the right-centerfield gap. Baughman got the next two outs with a pop to short and a swinging strike out. But in a long at-bat, Robyn Mask walked to put runners on first and second for Cayte Billman who hit a single to left-center. On the play Kloppe scored from second, but Gould, UH's centerfielder, got the ball in quickly to first baseman Kate Robinson who was the cut to home. Robinson made the cut and back-doored Mask who had made a wide turn around second. That ended the Rams' rally with the score 3-1.

In the top of the fourth, Power led the inning off with a single to left. Titcomb moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt. Warwick then hit a bloop single over the second baseman which put runners at the corners. Next, Gould hit another blooper that landed safely to score Power from third. Tausaga was walked to load the bases. Then, with the bases still loaded CSU pitcher Cayte Billman got a ground out from short to home for the second out and Manuma flew out to right to end the rally.

In the bottom of the fourth, Rams' centerfielder Kayla Kreutzman hit a two out home run to straight away center. At the end of four, UH led 5-2.

In the fifth, Robinson got the run back after she hit a home run over centerfield to push UH back up by four runs, 6-2.

Colorado State led the bottom of the sixth off with a single to left. On the play, the ball ricocheted off of leftfielder Peiler to put Melissa Routh at second. Jessica Strikland followed with another single to left to put runners at first and third with no outs. Jessica Morton then entered in relief of Baughman. She got the first batter she faced to pop-out to second. Brittany Huerta then drove a home run over the centerfield fence to bring the Rams within a run, 6-5.

But UH pulled away in the top of the seventh, posting three runs to pad their lead to 9-5. Manuma led the inning off with a single to center. Robinson then drilled a home run over the rightfield fence. After two ground outs, Titcomb got her third hit of the game. Warwick followed with another single and then Gould came up with an RBI single to center for the game's final run.

For the Rams, Billman threw 4.0 innings, five runs, on 10 hits with a walk, a hit-batsman, and a strike out. Rebecca Penland came in relief and threw 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with two strike outs. Kim Klabough closed, getting the last out of game.

In her second start of the year, Hawai`i's Baughman got her first win of the season. Morton threw the final 2.0 innings. She gave up one run on two hits with two strike outs.

UH will now have one game tomorrow at 9:00 am against Mississippi State.

-UH-