HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i softball team (5-11) swept their two games tonight in the Bank of Hawaii Invitational. First, UH's Stephanie Ricketts earned her first collegiate win with a 6-0 victory over Western Carolina, 6-0. Then the 'Bows took the nightcap, 9-3 over Tokyo W.C.P.E. Clare Warwick hit a pair of home runs, including a grand slam while Amanda Tauali`i also hit two homers tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Box Score 

Ricketts (1-3) fired a two-hit shutout, throwing the complete 7.0 innings in the win. She gave up just two hits, with two walks and three strike outs. It marked not only her first win as a Rainbow Wahine, but also her first career shut-out.

 

UH got off to a fast start, posting two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tanisha Milca led the game off with a walk. Dara Pagaduan then drove a ball through the rightside of the infield for a base hit. The Catamounts (4-7) then turned a 5-U-3 double play for two quick outs. Tauali`i then stepped to the plate and launched a two-run home run over the right-centerfield fence.

 

In the third, UH tacked on two more runs off a sinking line-drive that squirted away in right field by Pagaduan. On the play both Katie Grimes and Milca, who had both reached on walks, scored to put Hawai`i up 4-0 after four complete innings.

 

In the sixth, #Kanani Pu`u-Warren# hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Pagaduan from third, extending UH's lead to 5-0.

 

Then in the sixth, the 'Bows added one more run. Milca started things with a double to the left-centerfield gap, and Pagaduan got her fourth hit of the day to drive in Milca from second.

 

Pagaduan, a freshman second baseman, was involved in every scoring play of the game. She had a career game, going 4-for-4 at the plate, with two runs scored and three RBI.

 

For Western Carolina, Megan Taylor (2-2) took the loss, throwing two-plus innings, giving up four runs on three hits with three walks and one strike out. Megan Taylor closed, firing the final four innings, yielding two runs on six hits with two walks.

 

Box Score
Hawai`i 9, Tokyo Women's College of Physical Education 3

UH pitcher Courtney Baughman earned the win over Tokyo, throwing six-plus innings. She gave up three runs on six hits with three walks and six strike outs.

 

Hawai`i's offense racked up 13 hits against Tokyo, including three home runs, over the feisty team from Japan. The 'Bows had at least one runner on base in every inning and got three home runs in the game.

 

In the top of the third, Warwick drew a two-out walk and Tauali`i followed with her second home run of the game. This two-run homer sailed over the fence in right-centerfield.

 

Hawai`i added three runs in the top of the fourth when Warwick cranked her first home run of the game, driving in both Milca and Stacey Yamada who had reached on an unsuccessful fielder's choice. The home run put UH up, 5-0 after three-and-a-half innings.

 

Tokyo got three runs back in the bottom of the fifth, all were unearned. Sayaka Mori came through with a two-run single that scored Shizuka Shirakawa and Marina Kira with two outs. Then, Rei Ito scored on a wild pitch to cut UH's lead to 5-3. Baughman got Tokyo's clean-up hitter, Mao Tsurusawa, to ground out to second to end the inning.

 

Hawai`i then put the game away in the top of the seventh. With one out, pinch hitter Katie Grimes drew a walk. Yamada followed with a single through the rightside of the infield to put runners at first and second. Pagaduan then walked with two outs, and  Warwick followed with the grand slam. It was a first pitch, laser shot over the leftfield fence. 

In the game, Tauali`i led UH going 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run. In the sixth, she almost got her second homer of the game, but the ball bounced off the top of the fence and came back into the field of play for a long single. Warwick racked up seven RBI in the game, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu was 3-for-4.

 

Tokyo used four pitchers in the ball game, with Mayu Hayashi taking the loss. She threw the first 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on six hits with three walks and three strike outs. Hitomi Komamiya then threw 1.1 innings, giving up two hits and a walk. Chiharu Kimura threw the next 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on four hits with two walks and a strike out. Nozomi Sugahara got the final out of the game.

 

Hawai`i has won its first three games of the tournament to earn the No. 1 seed. Tokyo at 2-1 is the second seed. Western Carolina is 1-2 to be the No. 3 seed, and Mount St. Mary's who is 0-3 in the tourney, is the No. 4 seed.

Earlier games...
Box Score:  Mount St. Mary's 3, Western Carolina 11

Box Score: Mount St. Mary's 1, Tokyo W.C.P.E. 11

 

10:00 am – No. 2 Tokyo vs. No. 3 Western Carolina

2:00 pm – Third Place Game: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

4:00 pm – Championship Game: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2


                                                                                                                                     -UH-