Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
HONOLULU - The No. 16 University of Hawai`i softball team swept tonight's doubleheader on Day 2 of the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The Rainbow Wahine downed Long Beach State, 5-3 and then held off Central Florida in the nightcap, 3-1.
Against Long Beach State (3-3, 1-2 in Paradise Classic), UH's senior All-American pitcher Kate Robinson (1-0) got the win with a complete game effort. Robinson threw seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits with seven strike outs. She also contributed on offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run.
Hawai`i erupted for three runs in the top of the second. With one out, Katie Grimes reached safely on a one-out single to left. Then after a fly out to left, Tanisha Milca launched a towering two-run home run over the leftfield fence and netting. Clare Warwick then stepped to the plate and promptly cranked another shot to left for back-to-back home runs. After the fireworks, UH was up 3-0 after an inning and a half.
Robinson hit her first homer of the year, also to leftfield, to lead off the third inning. Then UH had another two-out rally in the fourth to tack on their final run of the game. With two outs, Milca started things off with a single up the middle. Warwick followed suit with another single up the middle. Then Kaulana Gould came through with a clutch single to rightfield that allowed a hustling Milca, who was on the run with two outs, score from second.
LBSU was held to just two hits through the first five innings. But in the sixth, they broke through strong, scoring three runs off three doubles and a homer in the inning. Danielle Linke led the inning off with a double to the rightfield fence. Jessica Beaver then crushed a pitch high over the leftfield fence for a two run home run. After a strike out and a foul-fly to first, Jennifer Griffin hit another double to right. Then Jonae Perez swapped places with Griffin with another double to the right-centerfield gap, cutting Hawai`i's lead to 5-3.
But that was as close as the 49ers would get. The game ended on a ground-out double play executed by shortstop Valana Manuma.
Bridgette Pagano also threw a complete game, giving up five runs on 13 hits with four walks and four strike outs.
In Hawai`i's second game, Courtney Baughman earned the complete game victory for the Rainbow Wahine. Baughman (2-0) threw seven innings, giving up one run on six hits with one walk. She had slightly shakey start after UCF loaded the bases with one out on three singles and an error. But she settle down to retire the next eight batters in a row, five on pop-ups to the infield and one fly ball to right.
The 'Bows scored quickly in the bottom of the first to start the game. Milca started the game with a sharp hit right through the middle. Warwick then got an infield single to the shortstop in the hole. Gould then hit to short for a fielder's choice at second. But on the play, an alert Gould took advantage of the defense and advanced into scoring position on the play. That was key as Robinson then followed with a single to left-centerfield that drove in both runners.
UCF cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth to 2-1. Breanne Javier led the inning off with a single to right. Allison Kime then hit an infield single to short to put runners at first and second. A wild pitch pushed both runners into scoring position. Brittany Hipple then hit a slow roller to Robinson at first who came down the line to tag the batter and hold the runner at third. But Cat Snapp then hit a long sacrifice fly to right to score Javier from third. On the play, Milca sprinted after the ball and caught it right at the fence.
Then in the fifth, Hawai`i added an insurance run after Milca scored her second run of the game. She reached on a double to left-center. A wild pitch moved her to third. With two outs, Gould drew a walk and then UCF tried to intentionally walk Robinson to load the bases. But on the first attempt, an illegal pitch was called, and Milca came home to extend UH's lead to 3-1.
With the two wins, head coach Bob Coolen's win total at UH rose to 600. Coolen is in his 17th year at UH and his record now stands at 600-367-1. Overall he is now at 672-460-1 in 22 seasons. He continues to be the winningest coach in program history. He also has the second longest tenure amongst UH head coaches behind women's volleyball coach Dave Shoji.
Earlier games...
Kentucky 2, Long Beach State 10
UK vs. LBSU
UCF 7, Kentucky 2
UCF vs. UK
