Box Score

HONOLULU--The Rainbow Wahine Softball team opened its season with a 17-0 win over Portland State in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic. Sophomore Justine Smethurst struck out 10 in the five inning shut out. The Hawai`i offense came through with timely hits with runners on base, but were helped with 11 walks issued by PSU pitching.

Smethurst spaced two hits and retired the last 10 batters in a row, at one point striking out five in a row. The 10 strike outs is one shy of her career high of 11 which she threw twice last season.

The Vikings pitchers had a hard time with their control in the early going. Starting pitcher Jessi Even walked four of the first five batters to start the game. Brandi Peiler drew the walk that forced lead-off hitter Valana Manuma across the plate for the first run. Clare Warwick then stepped to the plate and drove in two more runs with a single to the outfield. After the top of the first, UH led 3-0.

In the second, UH extended their lead. PSU walked the first two batters. Tanisha then executed a sacrifice bunt that moved both runners into scoring position for Gould who then hit a double to the left-field gap to score Alana Power and Manuma. Tyleen Tausaga then cranked a deep shot straight away over the centerfield fence for a two-run home run. That pushed the score to 7-0.

In the third, UH's offensive barrage continued, scoring six runs. PSU pitchers agains started the inning with two walks. After a strike out, the fourth batter, Milca, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gould then hit a single to left that scored Audrey Andrade. Then Tausaga came through again with a two-run single up the middle. A fielding error off a hit by Kate Robinson drove in Tausaga from second, and and pushed Warwick, who had walked, to third. She scored on a wild pitch for the sixth and final run of the inning.

For the third straight inning, PSU pitcher walked the first two runners to start the top of the fourth, and Hawai`i capitalized on a couple of errors to exten their lead further. Gould got her fourth RBI of the game with a single up the middle that drove in Manuma, and both Warwick and Robinson came through with RBI singles as well.

Hawai`i will now battle No.15 Nebraska in the final game of the day.

Leading hitters
Gould: 3-3, four runs, four RBI, double
Tausaga: 2-2, two runs, four RBI, home run
Warwick: 3-3, one run, three RBI 

-UH-