Box Score

HONOLULU - The No. 15 University of Hawai`i softball team (15-4) edged out a scrappy Southern Illinois team, 4-3 in the final game on the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament's first day. Brandi Peiler had a two-run single and Tanisha Milca drilled a two-run home run to lead the UH offense to the win.

Senior Kate Robinson (6-3) earned the win, throwing 5.1 innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits with five walks and five strike outs. Fellow senior Jessica Morton came in to squelch an SIU rally in the sixth. She earned the team's first save of the year by retiring the final five batters in a row. The Salukis (10-9) scored quickly in the top of the first. A fielding error at third allowed Krystal Stein to reach first safely. Katie Wagner then got a hit to right to put runners at first and second. Alicia Garza then laid down a sacrifice bunt to push both runners into scoring position. Hawai`i got the next out on a fly to right, but then Katie Wilson got a single to left to score Stein easily from third. That gave SIU the early 1-0 lead.

The Rainbow Wahine responded by plating two runs in the bottom of the first. The team rallied with two outs, starting with an opposite field single to left by Kaulana Gould. Kate Robinson then got a single down the rightfield line to put runners at first and second. Peiler then laced a double to the right-centerfield gap. Gould scored from second and Robinson raced around the bases, scoring from first base, leapfrog over the Salukis, 2-1.

In the second Valana Manuma led the inning off with a double down the leftfield line. After SIU got a pair of strike outs, Milca stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run home run over the leftfield fence to extend UH's lead to 4-1.

In the fifth, SIU's Wagner drilled a solo home run to left, cutting Hawai`i's lead in half, 4-2. Then in the sixth, The Salukis rallied again. Wilson ripped a double to left-center to start the inning off. After a fly out to left, Robinson walked the next two batters to load the bases. Morton then entered the game in her third relief performance of the year. She got Katie Schmidt to ground out to first, but a run scored to cut UH's lead to 4-3. But Morton then struck out Stein swinging to end the rally and the inning with the lead still in tact.

Morton then got a swinging strike out, a ground out to second and a line out to short to end the game in the seventh.

Hawai`i will play a single game against the Netherlands National team tomorrow at 6:00 pm on day two of the Malihini tournament.