Box Score
FRESNO, Calif. – The University of Hawai`i softball team (30-24, 15-6 WAC) battled hard, but fell to Nevada in 10 innings, 4-2 tonight in an elimination game. The loss knocked the 'Bows out of the WAC tournament. Pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts suffered the loss, throwing all 10 innings and giving up just one earned run in the game.
Ricketts (22-11) gave up four runs (three unearned) on nine hits with three walks and a strike out. She finishes the season with a total of 239.2 innings which put her above Kelly Gentle's 231.2 innings pitched in 1997 for fifth all-time in a single season. It was her 27th complete game of the season in 30 starts.
Nevada's Katie Holverson started the game and threw the first four and the last three innings. Overall she threw 7.0 shut-out innings, giving up four hits with four strike outs. Mallory Darby threw the middle three innings, yielding two runs on three hits with four strike outs and two walks.
In the top of the second inning, the Wolf Pack posted a run to take the early lead. Britton Murdock started the inning with line drive single to right. Sam Bias then hit a routine ground ball to short but the throw sailed to the first base line fence, leaving runners at first and second with no outs. Sarah Hunt then hit another grounder to short, but shortstop
Julie Franklin tried to pick-off Murdock, who had taken a small lead off third, but was unsuccessful. That left the bases loaded for the WAC regular season co-champions. Jessica Haight then hit a little chopper between the pitcher and the catcher. Ricketts came in and flipped it to
Katie Grimes at the plate for the first out of the inning. Michelle Beach then drew a walk that forced Bias across the plate. With the bases loaded and one out, the 'Bows got out of the jam when Danielle Patrick hit a line drive to
Richie-Anne Titcomb at second base who snared it and threw to first to double off Beach to end the rally and the inning.
In the bottom half of the second, UH tried to mount a rally but were unable to push a run across.
Audrey Andrade led off with a solid single through the rightside of the infield. #Kanani Pu`u-Warren# then got hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Franklin then attempted a sacrifice bunt to third, but Nevada's third baseman charged hard, fielded it cleanly, pivoted and got the force at three to get Andrade, the lead-runner. Grimes then drove a single to right to load the bases. With full base and one out, Titcomb then hit a grounder to short, and the shortstop threw home to get the lead runner out. Nevada then got Milca to ground out to second to end the inning.
Nevada thwarted another UH rally in the bottom of the fourth. Andrade got hit by a pitch to start off the inning and Pu`u-Warren laid down a bunt, but Nevada tried unsuccessfully to get Andrade at second, as the throw went into centerfield. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but they were left stranded, as Holverson was able to get a line-out to third, a strike out swinging, and a fly out to left to end the threat.
The Rainbow Wahine came back to tie the score at 1-1 in the fifth. Nevada inserted Mallory Darby on the mound to relieve Holverson to start the inning. With one out in the inning, Warwick sparked things with a hard single to leftfield. Darby then got the second out of the inning on a swinging strike out. But Amanda Tauali`i came through with a clutch triple ripped down the rightfield line into the corner. Warwick sprinted around to score from first and Tauali`i slid in safely at third. The triple tied the UH's single-season record at five. The only other two 'Bows to ever hit five in one season were Blythe Sakashita (1987) and Tia Morenz (1997). Nevada's Darby then got the final out of the inning on a strike out swinging.
Hawai`i broke the tie to overtake the Wolf Pack in the bottom of the sixth. Pu`u-Warren reached on a fielding error on the third baseman. Pu`u-Warren then moved to second on a walk issued to Franklin. Grimes attempted a sacrifice bunt, but for the second time in the game, the bunt went to the third baseman who turned and fired to the shortstop covering third to get the lead out. Pinch-hitter
Melissa Gonzalez then came in and tied the game with an RBI single up the middle to score Franklin.
But the 'Bows couldn't keep Nevada off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh, as the Wolf Pack answered right back to knot the game at 2-2. Patrick got a one out triple to the rightfield corner and then came home Noelle Micka's single to right. On the next play, Kim Silagyi hit a blooper to shallow center. Centerfielder Pu`u-Warren ran in and faked like she was going to catch it, but instead, she caught it on one bounce and threw the runner out at second. Later the inning ended on a groundout to second.
Nevada held the 'Bows at bay in the bottom of the seventh to take the game into extra frames.
Both sides were unable to get anything going in the eighth or ninth inning, Nevada was able to capitalize in the 10th to overtake the 'Bows. Ricketts got the first out on a ground out to short, but walked Murdock. Sam Bias then hit a soft liner right to short, but it deflected off Franklin's glove for an error that left both runners safe at first and second. Ricketts got Hunt to pop-out to third in foul territory, but Haight came through with a double to the right-centerfield gap to score both Murdock and Bias to give Nevada a 4-2 lead.
This was the sixth extra-inning game for the 'Bows this season. UH finishes 2-4 in extended games.
Nevada moves on to face Louisiana Tech in tonight's final game for the right to play Fresno State tomorrow in the WAC Championship Game.
-UH-
