Box Score

HONOLULU - Junior leftfielder Brandi Peiler's three-run home run in the fourth helped lift the No. 21 Rainbow Wahine softball team (31-7, 4-0 WAC) to a 5-1 victory over Louisiana Tech (16-15, 0-1 WAC). The two teams will face off again in a double header starting tomorrow at 2:00 pm at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Sophomore pitcher Justine Smethurst (12-5, 1-0 WAC) got the win facing only 22 batters in seven innings. She retired the first 13 batters in a row, before giving up an infield single. But the next batter popped up to shortstop Valana Manuma who threw to Kate Robinson at first to pick-off the runner who had strayed too far.

Smethurst continued to mow down the next eight batters in row before giving up a home run off the bat of LaTech second baseman, Rochelle Sandberg with two outs in the seventh. She then got the next batter to pop up to short to end the game.

Smethurst threw her 13th complete game, giving up one run on two hits. She tied her season high with 10 strike outs.

The game was scoreless through the first three-and-a-half innings. But in the bottom of the fourth, Tyleen Tausaga led the inning off with a single to left. Robinson followed with another single to left. Then, Peiler stepped to the plate and crushed a high fly ball over the leftfield fence to put UH up 3-0.

In the sixth, Hawai`i added two more runs. Both Richie-Anne Titcomb and Kaulana Gould had RBI singles to drive in Manuma and Katie Grimes respectively.

The two teams will face off in a double header tomorrow starting at 2:00 pm for the series finale.

-UH-