Box Score

RUSTON, La. - The No. 21/17 University of Hawai`i softball team (28-11, 4-1 WAC) took the second game of a doubleheader, 6-4 at the Lady Techster Softball Complex in Ruston, La. Kate Robinson (12-3, 3-0 WAC) earned the win, throwing a complete game, while Mandi Bertsch took the loss for Tech.

Hawai`i erupted for four runs in the top of the second and never looked back. With one out in the inning, Clare Warwick started the rally by drawing a walk. Valana Manuma then hit a ground ball to third. The third baseman tried to get the lead runner at second, but Tech's second baseman dropped the throw, leaving two runners on with one out. An illegal pitch called on Bertsch moved both runners into scoring position. Brandi Peiler hit a line drive to second for out number two in the inning. Then, Audrey Andrade drilled a single up the middle to score both Warwick and Manuma. Next, Katie Grimes got a single to short to put runners at the corners for UH. Tanisha Milca followed with a single to left that drove in Andrade from third and advanced Grimes to second. Kaulana Gould then hit a single to centerfield. On the play, the Louisiana Tech centerfielder came up firing, even though there was no play at the plate because Grimes had stopped at third. The throw was off-line so the first baseman tried to cut it, but it ricocheted off her glove and ricocheted around the brick backstop, allowing Grimes to score on the throwing error.

The 'Bows added two more runs in the top of the fourth to push their lead to 6-0. Peiler led the inning off with a single through the middle and was pinch run for by Allison Der Andrade then got her second single of the game with another hit up the middle to put two runners on first and second. Grimes then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Milca then drove in Der from third with a hit to third and Gould followed with another RBI single to center that knocked in Andrade from third. That put UH up, 6-0 after three-and-a-half innings.

The scrappy Tech team then got a solo home run off the bat of Danielle Sheridan in the bottom of the fifth, which cut the score to 5-1. Then Louisiana Tech mounted another rally in the bottom of the seventh. After a ground out to second, Emma Barnes reached on a single to leftfield. Robinson then got Danielle Sheridan looking at strike three. With two outs and a runner on first, Amberly Waits collected her first hit of the game to rightfield. Then the big boom came from Regan Clark who drilled a pitch high over the centerfield fence for a three-run home run that cut Hawai`i's lead to 6-4.

For the game, Robinson threw 7.0 innings and gave up four runs on 10 hits with a walk and six strike outs.

For Louisiana Tech, Bertsch threw 3.1 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits with two walks and no strike outs. Wanda Malone then came in relief and closed out the game's final 3.2 innings. She kept the UH offense off balance the rest of the way, holding the 'Bows off the scoreboard. She had no walks, two strike outs in her appearance.

Hawai`i will now play Tech tomorrow at 3:00 pm in the final game of the series here in Ruston.