Box Score

HONOLULU - The No. 16 University of Hawai`i softball team (1-0) opened the 2008 season with a 9-5 win over Kentucky on the first day of the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic. Junior pitcher Courtney Baughman earned the complete game win, while junior third baseman Clare Warwick led the Rainbow Wahine going 3-for-4 with a home run at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

Kentucky (2-3) drew first blood in the bottom of the first. Natalie Smith hit a one-out double to left-cetner field to start things off. A single by Molly Johnson put runners at the corners for clean-up hitter Becky Bishop, who knocked the run in with a ground-out to short.

With the Wildcats up 1-0 after one complete inning, Hawai`i quickly responded. Brandi Peiler led the top of the second off with a double down the rightfield line. After a ground-out to short, junior designated player Audrey Andrade drew a walk, putting runners at first and second. Sophomore catcher Kathryn Grimes then smacked the inning's second double to rightfield, driving in both Peiler and Andrade to take the lead, 2-1. On the play, Kentucky executed a good relay to cut down Grimes who tried to stretch the hit to a triple, 9-to-4-to-5.

After two scoreless innings, Hawai`i struck again in the top of the fifth. Junior second baseman Richie-Anne Titcomb led the inning off with a single to the hole at short. Tanisha Milca laid down a sacrifice bunt to push Titcomb to second. Warwick then stepped to the plate and hit another infield single to short, but Titcomb was unable to advance to third. So, with runners at first and second, senior centerfielder Kaulana Gould ripped an opposite-field line drive to leftfield. The ball skipped right through the Kentucky leftfielder and rolled to the fence. Both Titcomb and Warwick raced home but another good Wildcat relay gunned down Gould sliding into third. After four-and-a-half innings, UH led, 4-1.

In the sixth, the 'Bows erupted for what proved to be four big runs. Senior shortstop Valana Manuma drew a walk to start the inning. Andrade executed a sacrifice bunt that moved Manuma to second. Grimes was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position for Titcomb who hit a fly ball to right that had enough on it to allow Manuma to sprint home on the tag from third. Milca then laced a single to leftfield that drove in pinch-runner Kanani Warren from third. Then, the knockout punch was a two-run, line drive home run off the bat of Warwick to put UH up 8-1.

But Kentucky countered by scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Smith, who went 4-for-4 in the game, collected her second double of the game to start the sixth off. Two consecutive singles to rightfield by Johnson and Bishop drove in Smith. Then Annie Rowlands hit a grounder to third. Warwick quickly came up with it at the hot corner and fired to Grimes at home to cut down Johnson who broke on the hit to try to score for the first out of the inning. A pop-out to short gave UH two outs, but then Destinee Mordicai came through with a double to the rightfield wall. The hit scored both Bishop and Rowlands from first and second respectively, but on the play, Mordecai was thrown out trying to extend her double to a triple by a good Hawai`i relay, 9-to-4-to-5 to end the inning.

The Rainbow Wahine added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Kate Robinson started the seventh with her second double of the game. After two outs, Andrade came through with a two-out single to right to score Robinson from second.

Kentucky fought hard in the bottom of the seventh. After a ground out to third, Meagan Aull hit a single up the middle. Next, pinch-hitter Samantha DeMartine hit a ground ball to third. Warwick got the ball and fired to second to get the lead runner, but Titcomb couldn't come up with the ball, which left UK with runners at first and second. Smith followed with a single up the middle to load the bases. Johnson hit a sharp ground ball to right, but Milca was able to throw her out at first for the innings second out. On the play, Aull scored from third. Baughman then got Bishop to strike out swinging to end the game.

Baughman threw 7.0 innings, gave up five runs with now walks and five strike outs for the first win of the year.

Hawai`i continues "pool play" games tomorrow with a double header that starts with Long Beach State (2-3) at 5:00 pm and Central Florida (4-2) at 7:00 pm.

Down 1-0, UCF knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth. With Lane on second, Council executed a sacrifive bunt to push Lane to third. After a strike out, Javier drove Lane in with a single up the middle.

In the top of the 10th, LBSU took the lead again when LeSage came through with a two run single to left that scored Beaver and Griffin. The Beach would enter the bottom of the 10th with a 3-1 lead.

But the Golden Knights would not be denied. With Kime on second, Barrow got a single up the middle that drove in Kime from second. After a pop-up to the pitcher, Van Ryn got a single to left. After a ground out to first, Lane cranked a three-run walk off home run to end the game with UCF winning 5-3.

GAME 1: Long Beach State 3, Central Florida 5
In the tournament's first game, LBSU and UCF were locked in a pitchers' duel. The score was 0-0 through eight innings. Then, with the international tie-breaker in progress, Radcliff was placed on second for the 49ers. Goad advanced her on a sac bunt. Radcliff then moved to third on an illegal pitch and subsequently scored on a ground out to short for the game's first run.