Hawai`i 5, Southern Utah 1

Box Score

The 'Bows loaded the bases on three straight walks to start the game, but came away with just one run scored off a fielder's choice hit by Jenna Rodriguez that drove in Kelly Majam from third.

 

The Thunderbirds responded in the top of the second with a solo home run by Haylee Hoch that sailed over the leftfield fence to knot the score at 1-1.

 

The score remained tied at 1-1 through the five innings, but in the sixth inning, UH's Melissa Gonzalez blasted her first career grand slam to straight away centerfield giving the Rainbow Wahine a 5-1 lead. The inning started with pinch hitter Shannon Lum getting plunked on the first pitch. Pinch runner Dara Pagaduan entered the game for Lum and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jasey Jensen then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Pagaduan to third. Two walks later, the 'Bows had the bases loaded for Gonzalez who belted the first pitch to give UH a 5-1 lead with a half an inning to play.

 

Gonzalez went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, four RBI and two walks to lead UH on offense.

 

Kaia Parnaby tossed the complete game, giving up just one run on two hits with two walks and seven strike outs. She held the Thunderbirds at bay though for most of the game, retiring 11 straight batters between the end of the third through the beginning of the seventh inning.

 

SUU's Danielle Axe pitched well through the first five innings, stymieing the 'Bows' bats until the Gonzalez grand slam. Axe gave up five runs on five hits with 10 strike outs and four strike outs. Heather Black closed the game, getting the final two outs.

 

 

Box Score

Stephanie Ricketts had another strong performance in the circle for the third straight day. Ricketts recorded her second complete game shut-out of the tournament, facing just two batters over the minimum with no walks and eight strike outs. No Aggie runner reached second base in the game. For the tourney, Ricketts gave up just one run in 19.0 innings pitched with a walk and 25 strike outs and a 0.37 ERA en route to a unanimous choice as Most Valuable Pitcher of the tourney.

 

Hawai`i struck first on an RBI double to the right-centerfield gap by Jessica Iwata to drive in Kelly Majam who had opened the home half of the first inning with a walk. Later, Iwata scored on a groundout to third hit by Jenna Rodriguez, to give UH an early 2-0 lead.

 

The 'Bows added two more runs in thesecond inning. Jasey Jensen led off with an infield single and moved to third on a double drilled to centerfield by Majam. Jensen then scored on a fielder's choice hit to the shortstop by Alex Aguirre. Later, Aguirre crossed the plate on an RBI single by Sharla Kliebenstein that rocketed through the leftside of the infield.

 

UCD's Kasie Cochran then came into the game and held UH off the scoreboard for the next three innings before Hawai`i pulled away with four runs in the sixth to end the game with the eight run lead.

 

Majam led the inning off with her eighth walk of the tournament. Pinch runner Brynne Buchanan then came in and scooted to third on an opposite field single to rightfield by Iwata. Buchanan scored on the play when the UCD third baseman was called for obstruction for the second time in the game. Later, with two outs in the inning, Kliebenstein launched her first career home run over the centerfield fence to drive in pinch runner Dara Pagaduan and Shannon Lum, giving the Rainbow Wahine an 8-0 win with the mercy rule in effect.

 

UC Davis' Jessica Thweatt threw the first two innings, giving up four runs on four hits with four walks and two strike outs. Cocharn closed the game, tossing the final 3.2 innings. She gave up four runs on three hits with three walks and a strike out.

 

Ricketts and Majam were voted unanimously Most Valuable Pitcher and Player respectively of the Paradise Classic with four other Rainbow Wahine joining them on the all-tourney team.

 

Hawai`i now has one day off before they face off against Texas State in a single game on Valentine's night at 5:00 pm at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

 

P - Chandler Hall, Texas State

INF - JJ Wagoner, UC Davis

INF - Haley Lemons, Texas State

INF - Jordan Masek, Texas State

INF - Elizbeth Santana, UCD

OF - Heather Richardson, Southern Utah

UTL - Alex Holmes, UC Davis

 

Most Valuable Pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts, Hawai`i

Most Valuable Player 
Kelly Majam, Hawai`i

                                                                                                         -UH-