Box Score

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The No. 18 Hawai`i softball team (40-8, 11-1 WAC) trailed by as much as four runs through the first six innings. But in the top of the seventh, Kate Robinsion crushed a grand slam to vault UH into the lead. UH gave up one run in the bottom of the seventh, but held on to win 6-5 in thrilling fashion. Robinson also recorded her first save of the season. Reliever Jessica Morton (9-1, 3-0 WAC) threw five solid innings and got the win.

The Aggies came out firing in the second inning, chasing the starting pitcher, Robinson from the circle after throwing just one-plus innings. Stacey Lien led the inning off by hitting a ground ball to second, but a fielding error allowed her to reach safely. Pinch runner Jenavieve Purcell stole second. Then, Rishelle Gastelum hit a single to right to place runners at the corners. NMSU then executed a double steal to score the game's first run. On the play, the shortstop's throw home was wild and that allowed Gastelum to scoot all the way to third. Ashley Roskos then smacked a single up the middle to drive in Gastelum to push the Aggies' lead to 2-0. UH's Morton then entered the game and proceeded to strike out the first two batters and got the third out on a fly ball to center.

In the fourth, New Mexico State tacked on two more runs to go up 4-0. Colleen Kimbro had a bases clearing double down the leftfield line to score both Roszkos and Luttmers who had reached on singles to left.

Down 4-0, Hawai`i's offense then began to chip away at the lead. In the top of the fifth, freshman shortstop Traci Yoshikawa started things off by drawing a walk. Alana Power followed with a single to second. Then, after two pop-ups, Clare Warwick hit a hard ground ball to second. On the play, the second baseman committed a fielding error, allowing Yoshizawa to score Hawai`i's first run. It cut the lead to 4-1.

In the top of the sixth, Tyleen Tausaga led the inning off with a towering home run over the trees in rightfield. It was her second home run of the day and it cut NMSU's lead to 4-2.

Hawai`i was down to its final two outs of the game, still trailing, 4-2. Warwick started a determined rally with a single to short. Kaulana Gould then smacked a base hit up the middle and was followed by Tausaga who battled for a single to left to load the bases for Robinson who crushed a shot to deep leftfield, into the wind, for her first career grand slam, giving Hawai`i its first lead of the game, 6-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Aggies battled hard. Ashley Ortega got a single to left to begin the inning and an errant throw from left, allowed her to sprint to second. Lien then hit a single up the middle, driving in Ortega to cut the deficit to 6-5. UH's Robinson then reentered the game on the mound in relief of Morton. Robinson got the first batter she faced to ground into a fielder's choice back to the pitcher, who got the lead runner out at two. Then, Roskos hit into a game ending double-play to second. Power fielded it, tagged the lead runner and flipped to Tausaga at first for the final out.

In all, Robinson threw 2.0 innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Morton fired 5.0 innings and gave up three runs, two of which were earned, on eight hits with a walk and four strike outs. Morton improved to 9-1 on the year. All of her decisions have come in relief.

The Aggies' starter Kim Watson took the loss. She also started and ended the game on the mound. Watson threw 5.2 innings and gave up four runs on six hits with three walks and two strike outs. Vanessa Fitzgerald threw 1.1 innings in relief, giving up two runs on three hits.

Miscellaneous notes... It is the sixth time the Rainbow Wahine have won at least 40 games in a season, the last time was in 2003...it was the 10th time this season that UH has been able to battle back from a deficit to win the game, the four runs marks the largest comeback for this team this season...Tausaga's home run was her 12th of the year which ties her season-high from last year. It was also her 30th career home run which passes Dana Degen for second place in the all-time career home run list. Stacey Porter holds the record at 38...Tausaga's seven RBI in this series pushes her career total to 146, which is just two shy of Degen's all-time school record of 148...Robinson's grand slam was her first and the team's eighth this season. She's hit 15 so far this year, the record is 17 by Stacey Porrter in 2003...Robinson has already broken the school's single-season record for most RBI with 53, the previous record was held by Cheyenne Thompson in 1994...Hawai`i has now out-scored their opponents 284-99 in 48 games...the team's record breaking home run total continues to pile up, the old record set last season was 42 and the 2007 team now has 64 on the year.

-UH-