Box Score

RUSTON, La. - Senior Kate Robinson hit two home runs to helped lead the No. 21/17 University of Hawai`i softball team (27-11, 3-1 WAC) to a win in the series opener at Louisiana Tech (18-18, 1-3 WAC). Junior Courtney Baughman (12-6, 1-0 WAC) earned the win for UH, while senior Jessica Morton got the save. Lady Techsters' ace, Krissi Oliver took the loss with a complete game effort.

Baughman fired 5.0 innings, giving up a run on six hits with a walk and four strike outs. Morton threw the final two innings of the game, giving up no runs with two hits and four strike outs. Tech's Krissi Oliver threw 7.0 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits with three walks and a strike out.

Robinson hit her first home run to start off the top of the fourth high over the centerfield fence.

Tech answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Amberly Waits led the inning off with a single up the middle. Then with clean-up hitter Regan Clark at the plate, Louisiana Tech tried to bunt on the first two Baughman offerings. Both times, Clark missed. But on the second miss, with the infield crashing because of the bunt attempt, Hawai`i catcher Katie Grimes picked off Waits at first with second baseman Melissa Gonzalez who was covering first. Later in the at-bat Clark hit a double to the left-centerfield gap. Kylie Bassett then followed with a second straight double to left-center to drive in pinch runner Sarah Offutt.

Hawai`i added three runs in the top of the sixth. Gonzalez started everything by drawing a walk. Robinson then stepped to the plate and cranked her second home run of the game over the leftfield fence. Clare Warwick kept things going with a single to centerfield then stole second to get into scoring position. Valana Manuma then hit a grounder to short, but the Tech shortstop tried unsuccessfully to get Warwick at third, leaving runners at the corner. Brandi Peiler followed by hitting a sacrifice fly to right-centerfield to drvie in Warwick for the game's final run.

Tech tried to respond in the bottom of the inning. Danielle Sheridan led off the inning with a double to left-centerfield. Morton then entered with a runner at second and the game in the balance. Waits then hit a single to third to put two runners on for clean-up hitter, Clark. Clark then drilled a pitch just off the outstretched glove of Kaulana Gould who was was running towards the fence in pursuit of the fly ball. On the play, Sheridan held at second to tag, but Wait was on the move. As the throw came in from center on a relay from Gonzalez, both Lady Techster runners were at third base. Sheridan tried to run down the line, but Grimes tagged her for the first out of the inning. Morton then got the next batter to strike out and ended the inning on a fly to center.

Morton then closed the game with three straight swinging strike outs in the bottom of the seventh. It was her third save of the season.

For Robinson, the two home runs brings her career total to 37 which is just one shy of the UH career home run record held by Stacey Porter who hit 38 in her prolific career which ended in 2003. It also marked the sixth time in Robinson's career and first time this season that she's hit two home runs in a game. As a sophomore, she hit two at St. Mary's. Last season, she accomplished the same feat four times (Colorado State, Southern Utah, Nevada, and Utah State).

Hawai`i will battle Louisiana Tech in the second half of today's doubleheader in approximately 20 minutes.