HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i softball team (29-22, 15-6 WAC) completed the sweep over Boise State on Senior Day to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference. The 'Bows took the first game, 9-1 in five innings then won the final game of the regular season, 8-3 this afternoon at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

 

It was the final home games for eight Rainbow Wahine—seniors Audrey Andrade, Courtney Baughman, Julie Franklin, Tanisha Milca, Richie-Anne Titcomb, Clare Warwick, and Stacey Yamada, and junior Malamaisaua Manuma. All eight played and contributed to today's doubleheader sweep.

 

In the series, the 'Bows offense got revved up, racking up 25 runs on 37 hits with five doubles, three home runs, and 21 RBI. The team finished strong, hitting .474 in the three games, while the UH pitching staff held the Broncos to a .143 team average (9-of-63 at the plate).

 

 

Freshman pitcher Stephanie Ricketts (21-9, 13-4 WAC) fired her 25^th complete game of the season, throwing five innings. She gave up one, unearned run on two hits with a walk and two strike outs. She is only the fifth pitcher in UH history to hit the 20 win plateau and her 220.2 innings is sixth most in school history. She has walked 43 and struck out 173 and held opponents to a .192 average thus far this season.

 

Hawai`i scored first, putting two runs up in the second inning. Amanda Tauali`i led the inning off with a single through the right-side of the infield. Andrade followed with a bunt that bounced right past a charging third baseman and pitcher for a single. Pu`u-Warren then came through with a single to center to score pinch-runner, Mikalemi Tagab-Cruz from second. But on the play, Andrade was thrown out at third on a nice relay from center-to-short-to third, and Pu`u-Warren advance to second on the throw. After a groundout to third, Traci Yoshikawa picked up her eigth RBI of the season with a single to left that scored Pu`u-Warren from second.

 

Boise State responded and cut UH's lead in half by scoring one run in the top of the third. Laeha Hill led the inning off with a double to left. A walk issued to Lexi Straton put runners at first and second for the Broncos. The next batter, Kathy Cox, hit a grounder up the middle. Second baseman, Pagaduan fielded it cleanly and tried to flip to Yoshikawa covering two, but the toss was wide and trickled into leftfield, allowing Hill to race around to score Boise State's first run of the series.

 

Warwick got the run back in the third, when she launched a solo home run over the left-centerfield fence. After three inning, UH held a 3-1 lead.

 

In the fourth, the 'Bows tacked on three more runs. Pu`u-Warren started the inning with a single to left and Pagaduan followed with a double to left. After a pop-up to short, pinch hitter Malamaisaua Manuma reached on a fielding error on the shortstop. The error allowed Pu`u-Warren to score and then the throw home from center was wild, which allowed Pagaduan to score all the way from first. Milca then knocked in the third run of the inning with a single to right-centerfield to extend UH's lead to 6-1.

 

Hawai`i then closed the game out, scoring three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game on the eight-run mercy-rule. Andrade led the inning off with a high-fly ball to the fence that bounced off and over the BSU's rightfielder's glove for an opposite-field home run. UH then got three straight singles by Pu`u-Warren, Pagaduan, and Yoshikawa. After a pop to short, Milca was hit by a pitch to force Pu`u-Warren home and Warwick hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Pagaduan for the game-ending run.

 

Boise State's Aubrey Zell threw the complete game, giving up nine runs on 15 hits with no walks or strike outs.

 

 

 

Hawai`i's senior pitcher, Courtney Baughman, earned the win with her ninth complete game of the season. She gave up three runs on seven hits with two walks and two strike outs. It was Baughman's longest outing on the mound since she threw seven innings in a March 28 loss to Nevada.  She is now 7-8 on the season and has a career record of 35-23.

 

The 'Bows got on the scoreboard first, posting a pair of runs in the second inning. Audrey Andrade started things with a one-out, opposite-field single to right. #Kanani Pu`u-Warren# followed with an opposite field bomb that bounced off the bottom of the scoreboard in rightfield. It was her sixth home run of the season.

 

Hawai`i then erupted for six more runs in the third. Milca led the inning off with a single to left. Dara Pagaduan# then laid down a bunt, but the catcher threw to second to try to get Milca out. The throw sailed high, pulling the shortstop off the bag. Both runners then moved into scoring position on a ground out to third. Tauali`i followed with a fly to right that went in and out of the leftfielder's glove for an error. It allowed both Milca and Pagaduan to score. BSU then issued a walk and a bean to Andrade and Pu`u-Warren to load the bases. Franklin came through with an RBI, line-shot single that ricocheted off the pitcher's shin to score pinch-runner, Tagab-Cruz. Stacey Yamada then hit a double past the leftfielder to plate both Andrade and pinch-runner Manuma. Franklin then scored UH's sixth run on a sacrifice fly to right by Richie-Anne Titcomb. Hawai`i ended the third inning with an 8-0 lead.

 

But Boise got one run back in the fourth on a Christina Capobianco home run over the leftfield fence that cut their deficit to 8-1.

 

After getting the first two outs in the top of the sixth, the Broncos loaded the bases and got a run back in the sixth on an RBI single by Kelly Sweeney that drove in Allie Crump.

 

In the seventh, BSU pinch-hitter Tazz Weatherly reach on a fielding error by the leftfielder. She was later driven in by Crump with a single to left. But Baughman was able to get the final out on a fly to center.

 

Boise State's Crump (7-13) suffered the loss, giving up eight runs on 10 hits with three walks and three strike outs.

 

Hawai`i will now travel to Fresno, Calif. for the WAC tournament that runs from May 6 – 9. The 'Bows are the three seed and will face number four, Louisiana Tech in their opening game at 7:00 pm at Bulldog Diamond.  (Click here for pdf of 2009 WAC Tournament Bracket)


                                                                                                                                        -UH-