Box Score
HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i softball team (18-20, 6-4 WAC) defeated Utah State, 9-1 in six innings tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The 'Bows got three home runs—one each from
Tanisha Milca,
Audrey Andrade, and
Clare Warwick—that accounted for five of UH's nine runs. Freshman pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts (13-7, 6-2 WAC) earned the win with her 17th complete game of the season.
Ricketts took a no-hitter through the first four innings before giving up a lead-off single in the fifth. For the game, she gave up one run on two hits with a pair of walks and five strike outs. It was her 11th straight complete game thrown.
The Rainbow Wahine got off to a fast start in the first inning, loading the bases on a couple of singles and a walk, but the rally stalled and Utah State pitcher Lindsay Benson finished the inning unscathed, getting a fly out, a pop-up, and a strike out swinging to end the threat.
In the second inning though, the 'Bows got on the scoreboard on Milca's two-run home run.
Traci Yoshikawa hit a deep fly ball to right to start the one-out rally. But the ball went in and out of the rightfielder's glove for a fielding error. Yoshikawa hustled into second on the play. Benson got a ground out for the inning's second out, then Milca launched her seventh homer of the season, high over the leftfield fence to put UH up, 2-0 after two innings.
Utah State retired the 'Bows in the third, but in the fourth Andrade started the inning with a bang, blasting an opposite-field, solo home run. It was her second of the season. Later, with one out in the inning, Yoshikawa hit a single up the middle. Then with two outs, Milca collected her third hit of the game, drilling a double to the right-centerfield gap, which scored Yoshikawa all the way from first. Warwick then crushed the second homer of the inning to straight-away center that scored Milca. The four runs extended UH's lead to 6-0 after four complete innings.
Utah State answered right back in the top of the fifth. Aubrie Stroman broke up Ricketts' no-hit attempt with a hard-hit single that ricocheted off the third baseman. Simone Hernandez then drew a walk, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Emily Reilly laid down a sacrifice bunt to third to push both runners into scoring position. Ricketts struck out the next batter, but Megan McDonald drove in the Aggies' run with a single up the middle to cut UH's lead to 6-1.
Hawai`i got the run back in the fifth. Amanda Tauali`i hit a double to lead off the inning. The Aggies' Benson then got a pair of swinging strike outs, but hit
Dara Pagaduan to continue the inning. Benson then issued a walk to Yoshikawa to load the bases, and then walked pinch-hitter
Melissa Gonzalez to force pinch-runner,
Alex Aguirre home. After five innings, the Rainbow Wahine led, 7-1.
In the sixth, UH pulled away and ended the mercy-rule game by scoring two runs. Warwick led off with a single up the middle. After a strike out, Tauali`i ripped a triple down the rightfield line to score Warwick easily from first. Benson was able to get another strike out for the second out, but chose to intentionally walk Andrade to put runners at the corners. UH then inserted pinch hitter
Julie Franklin into the game, but a wild pitch allowed Tauali`i to score the final run of the game.
UH tallied 10 hits in the game—six were of the extra base variety. The top of the Rainbow Wahine's order did most of the damage, with the top four in the line-up colleting eight of the team's 10 hits. Milca led the 'Bows, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, home run, three runs scored, and three RBI. Warwick went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, two RBI and a walk, and Tauali`i was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored and an RBI.
Utah State's Benson also fired a complete game. She threw 5.2 innings, giving up nine runs on 10 hits with four walks and nine strike outs.
The two teams square off in a series ending double-header tomorrow starting at 2:00 pm.
-UH-
