Box Score

HONOLULU - The 17th-ranked University of Hawai`i softball team (24-11, WAC 0-1) dropped their WAC opener, 4-1, to New Mexico State (17-20, WAC 1-0) tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Aggies ace, Kim Watson (13-12, 1-0) earned the win, while UH starter Jessica Morton (4-2, 0-1) took the loss.

Watson threw 7.0 innings, giving up one run on four hits with a walk and five strike outs. Morton threw 7.0 innings giving up four runs--three of which were unearned--on five hits with a walk and five strike outs.

NMSU scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second. Ashley Maroda started the rally by reaching on a fielding error. A ground out to short moved her to second before Brittany Clifton got an RBI-single to score the games's first run. Rishelle Gastelum then moved Clifton into scoring position with a sacrifice then Kylie Randall drove her in with a single down the leftfield line, putting NMSU up 2-0 early.

In the fourth, Maroda launched a solo home run over the leftfield fence to extend the Aggies' lead to 3-0. NMSU scored their final run in the top of the sixth. Maroda started things off again, with a double to left-centerfield. She later scored when Clifton hit a squibber to the pitcher's left. After bobbling the ball a little, Morton flipped the ball past first, allowing Maroda to score from second.

Hawai`i's only run came in the bottom of the seventh. Clare Warwick hit a double to the right-centerfield gap, and pinch hitter Julie Franklin followed with a single up the middle that scored Warwick.

Hawai`i will play the second game of the doubleheader in approximately 20 minutes.