Hawai'i's
Courtney Baughman threw 4.0 innings with no walks and four strike outs. But a pair of three-run innings by the Wildcats proved to be too much for UH to overcome.
Stephanie Ricketts fired the final two innings, facing just six batters, with two strike outs.
Northwestern's Lauren Delaney fired a complete game, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks, four beaned batters, and nine strike outs.
In the top of the first, Hawai'i got things started with both
Tanisha Milca and
Clare Warwick getting beaned. With one out, the Wildcats turned a 1-5-3, inning-ending, ground-out, double play to squelch the rally.
The Wildcats (3-1) then struck quickly in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff batter Tammy Williams starting things with a single to center. Robin Thompson followed with a sacrifice bunt to third, but an errant throw on the play left both runners safe at first and second with no outs. Baughman got Nicole Pauly to fly out to right, but Michelle Batts then hit a single up the middle to drive in Williams from third. After a strike out, Kelly Dyer drove a bases-clearing triple to the right-centerfield gap, to push NU's lead to 3-0.
Hawai'i got one run back in the top of the fifth off a solo home run to left by Milca.
But Northwestern responded by erupting for three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Williams led the inning off with a home run to left. Thompson then reached on a bunt single, and Pauly then drilled the Wildcats' second home run of the inning over the right-centerfield fence. Hawai'i's Ricketts then entered the game and put out the fire. She got the powerful Batts to ground out to second then got both Dyer sisters, Erin and Kelly to strike out swinging to end the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, NU's Aly Euler got a pinch-hit double to right-centerfield. She moved to third off a fly to deep left-center. The Hawai'i defense then got a double play of its own when leftfielder,
Malamaisaua Manuma caught a fly off the bat off Jessica Rigas and gunned down Euler at the plate to end the inning.
Hawai'i tried to mount a rally in the top of the seventh.
Julie Franklin led things off with her third career home run to right-center. After two strike outs, Milca drew a walk and
Richie-Anne Titcomb got a single up the middle, but Delaney was able to get the last out on a liner to second.
The Rainbow Wahine now will face Kentucky (0-0) later tonight at 8:15 pm PST.
-UH-
