Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Tanisha Milca's two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth, lifted the University of Hawai'i softball team (47-11, 16-2 WAC) to a 2-0 win over UC Santa Barbara in the Los Angeles Regional opener. Justine Smethurst (18-8) threw the 10 inning, complete game shut out. The NCAA Division I Championships continue tomorrow. UH takes on host UCLA at 3:00 p.m. PST at UCLA's Easton Stadium Friday afternoon.

The game was a pitchers' duel, with both pitchers throwing complete games. Smethurst threw over 200 pitches in the 10 inning game, which is the longest of her career. She finished with four walks and 12 strike outs--one short of her career and season-high of 13 set at Santa Clara this season. Smethurst got out of several potentially dangerous situations with runners in scoring position. UCSB (30-22) left 10 runners on base, eight of them were in scoring position. But UCSB's offense, despite out-hitting the Rainbow Wahine six-to-three were unable to produce any runs. The Gauchos had their lead-off hitter reach safely in six innings out of 10 innings, but Smethurst and the Rainbow Wahine defense played solidly to hold the Gauchos off the scoreboard.

Gauchos' pitcher Jennifer Davis also threw the complete game. It was her third 10 inning game of the season. Davis stymied the Hawai`i offense at times. She took a no-hitter through five-and-two-thirds innings, before Kaulana Gould broke it with a single to deep short. At one point, Davis retired 10 batters in a row between the second and fifth inning.

After nine-and-two-thirds innings of scoreless ball, Milca drilled her two-run home run over the right-centerfield fence to win the game. The homer drove in catcher Kathryn Grimes who drew a two-out walk. For Milca, it was her 13th home run of the season and first walk-off hit of her career.

Besides Gould's and Milca's hits, Kate Robinson was the only other Rainbow Wahine to get a hit off Davis. She had a double in the ninth inning off the centerfield fence. But on the play, it looked like the umpire called her out on the slide, but she wasn't and when she got off the bag, she was tagged out.

Hawai`i will now play the host team, the UCLA Bruins tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. in the second day of the double elimation Regional tournament. The Bruins defeated Loyola Marymount, 6-3 in the second game of the day.

-UH-