Box Score

HONOLULU--In a hard fought battle between No.15 Nebraska (1-1) and Hawai`i (2-0), the Rainbow Wahine came out on top with an exciting 4-3 victory to end the first day of the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic. Valana Manuma came through with a clutch two-out, two-run triple past a diving leftfielder into to the left-centerfield gap to score the tying and winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Relief pitcher Jessica Morton got the win after Courtney Baughman threw 5.1 innings. Baughman scattered eight his and struck out five and walked five. Morton came in after the Huskers had rallied to take the lead, 3-2 in the top of the sixth with a two-run double to left by pinch hitter Alex Hupp. Morton retired the first four batters she faced with a ground out, a fly ball to center and a pair of strike outs. With two outs in the top of the seventh, NU batter Crystal Carwile smacked a double over the head of right fielder Kate Robinson. Carwile tried to leg it out to a triple, but a perfect relay from Robinson to second baseman Alana Power to third baseman Clare Warwick gunned the runner down to end the game.

In the top of the first, Nebraska jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead after Meghan Mullin scored on a passed ball.

In the bottom of the third, Tanisha Milca hit a two-out home run that hit the top of the centerfield fence to knot the game at 1-1. Hawai`i then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring a single run to go up 2-1. Milca got on a single that had taken a bad hop and hit NU shortstop Devin Porter in the face. Kaulana Gould then hit behind the runner with a ground out to first to push Milca to second. After a wild pitch, Tyleen Tausaga hit a slow roller to the right side of the infield to score Milca easily from third.

But the Huskers did not go down without a fight. They responded in the top of the sixth when Hupp had her two-run double to left. The score see-sawed back in favor of NU, 3-2.

Hawai`i got a one-out double to left-center by Robinson. Designated player Amanda Taualii got hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Nebraska then changed pitchers from Molly Hill to Ashley DeBuhr. DeBuhr got her first batter to strike out, but then gave up the two-out, two-run trip to Manuma.

Hill took the loss, throwing 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits with two walks and four strike outs. DeBuhr threw 0.2 innings struck out two, but gave up the triple.

Hawai`i will face No.24 Auburn (0-2) and DePaul 2-0 tomorrow in the second day of the OTWC Paradise Classic.

-UH-