Box Score

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i softball team (27-22, 13-6 WAC) opened their first-ever series against Boise State with an 8-0 win in five innings. Stephanie Ricketts fired her second no-hitter this season while picking up her 20th win of the year tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

 

Ricketts (20-9, 12-4 WAC) faced just 16 batters—one over the minimum—with no walks and four strike outs in the mercy-rule ended game. She threw just 61 pitches in the game with 41 strikes and retired the final 10 batters in a row. Her first no-hitter came on a 3-0 win at Louisiana Tech on March 21 earlier this year.

The only blemishes on the scoresheet were a couple of errors. The first one was on Ricketts' errant throw off a bunt to start the game, but a 6-4-3 ground out double play erased that runner. The second inning started with an error as well, this time on a fielding error at short. The Broncos almost got their first hit of the day with Kelly Sweeney hit a one-hopper to the centerfielder, but the runner at first had to hold in case it was caught, which allowed centerfielder Pu`u-Warren to throw her out at second on the force play.

The 'Bows got the offense going early, posting three runs in the first inning. Tanisha Milca led off the inning with a walk. Clare Warwick followed with a single to left. Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu then hit into a fielder's choice to the shortstop, who flipped to third to get the force on Milca at third for the inning's first out. The 'Bows then got back-to-back doubles by Amanda Tauali`i and Audrey Andrade. Tauali`i's opposite-field two-bagger drove in Warwick from second. Andrade's scored both Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu and Tauali`i. Boise State starter Mandy Klein then settled down, giving up just an infield single by Dara Pagaduan which was sandwiched between two strike outs looking. After one complete inning, UH had a 3-0 lead.

 

In the third, the Rainbow Wahine pulled away, scoring four more runs. Tauali`i lifted a single into shallow rightfield. Andrade then hit a hard grounder to second that bounced off the second baseman's glove for an error. #Kanani Pu`u-Warren then got a solid single to leftfield to load the bases for Pagaduan who drove in pinch-runner Sarah Robinson from third. Traci Yoshikawa# followed with a single to centerfield to score Andrade. With the bases still loaded, the Broncos' Aubrey Zell then came into the game to relieve Klein on the mound. She was able to get the first out in the inning on a fielder's choice hit to second with a drawn-in infield. The BSU second baseman fired home to get the force at the plate. But Milca kept things going with a single that fell right inside the leftfield line that drove in Pagaduan, and Warwick then hit a grounder to the second baseman who was able to step on second for the second out. On the play however, Yoshikawa crossed the plate for UH's seventh run of the game.

 

In the fourth, UH notched its final run in the fourth to put the 'Bows up by eight runs. With two outs, Andrade started things with her second double of the game. Pinch-runner Alex Aguirre then was driven home on the next at-bat on Pu`u-Warren's second single of the game.

The Broncos almost broke up the no-hitter in the top of the fifth. Ashley Viers-Gordil hit a hard line shot towards the hole between short and third, but senior third baseman, Clare Warwick made a diving, back-handed stab to snare it for the first out. Ricketts proceeded to get a swinging strike out and a ground out to second to end the game.
  

Boise State's Klein threw 2.0 innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits with a walk and three strike outs. Zell also threw 2.0 innings, giving up just one run on three hits with a strike out.

 

Hawai` i's offense was able to rack up 12 hits in the game, with five players (Andrade, Warwick, Tauali`i, Pu`u-Warren, and Pagaduan) going 2-for-3 at the plate.

 

The 'Bows and the Broncos will end the regular season with tomorrow's doubleheader that starts at 2:00 pm. The Rainbow Wahine will add a new shade to their colors tomorrow as they will be wearing specially created pink uniforms as part of Under Armour's “Power in Pink” day at the park for breast cancer awareness. Eight Hawai`i players will also play their final home games tomorrow. Red shirt junior Malamaisaua Manuma along with seven, four-year seniors—Audrey Andrade, Courtney Baughman, Julie Franklin, Tanisha Milca, Richie-Anne Titcomb, Clare Warwick, and Stacey Yamada—will all bid aloha for the final time in their career.