Box Score
HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii softball team (25-21, 11-5 WAC) hit three home runs en route to a 3-1 win over New Mexico State (29-16, 9-6 WAC).
Tanisha Milca,
Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu, and #Kanani Pu`u-Warren# all hit solo homers to lift UH over the Aggies.
Stephanie Ricketts (18-8, 10-3 WAC) fired a complete game to earn the win tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Ricketts threw 7.0 innings giving up one run on four hits with two walks and six strike outs. It was her 16th complete game in a row.
New Mexico State's Kim Watson (18-8) gave up three runs on four hits in three-plus innings of work.
Hawai`i threatened to score in the bottom of the second, but were unable to post any runs.
Audrey Andrade led the inning off by drawing a walk and #Kanani Pu`u-Warren
got hit by a pitch. Dara Pagaduan# then moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt to first. But Watson settled down to get a pop-up to third and a foul-fly out to the catcher to end the inning and thwart the rally.
In the top of the third, the Aggies started to rally after the first two batters in the inning reached on a pair of errors. But Ricketts got out of the jam, getting a strike out, a pop-out to short, and a ground out to short to end the inning.
But in the third, the 'Bows posted two runs. Milca led the off the inning with a blast over the centerfield fence. It was Milca's 11th home run of the season and she is now tied with former Rainbow Wahine greats, April Crowell and Kate Judd for seventh all-time in single season home runs. Milca also holds the sixth spot when she hit 13 in 2007.
After a ground out back to the pitcher, Duhaylonsod-Kalemamahu continued the third inning by launching an opposite-field homer to the right-centerfield gap. It was her sixth home run of the season.
Hawai`i added one more run in the fourth on Pu`u-Warren's fourth home run of the year. She drove it over the right-centerfield fence as well.
NMSU posted their only run in the fifth. Kristi Randall started things off with a one out looping single into shallow centerfield. Kandis Jones followed with a single to short. To put runners at first and second. Tiare Jennings then hit a deep fly to right and Randall tagged and ran to third to put runners at the corners. With two outs, Hoku Nohara hit a hard ground ball that took a bad bounce that hit off the shortstop's shoulder, allowing Randall to score.
With the win, Hawai`i remains tied with Fresno State for second place at 11-5 in the WAC race. UH and New Mexico State face off again tomorrow in the series ending doubleheader starting at 2:00 pm on Saturday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
-UH-
