Box Score

FRESNO, Calif.—The No. 4-seed University of Hawai`i softball team (37-16, 14-7 WAC) opened the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a 6-1 win over No. 5-seed Utah State on Wednesday afternoon at Bulldog Diamond on the Fresno State Campus. In the win, Hawai`i pitcher Stephanie Ricketts set a new UH career strike out record with her 587th K.

 

Ricketts fired her 30th complete game of the season as she raised her record to 22-11 overall. She gave up one run on eight hits with four walks and four strike outs. The new Hawai`i strike out queen passed former All-American Brooke Wilkins' 16 year-old record of 585 career strike outs that was set when she pitched for the 'Bows from 1994-95. Ricketts' four strike outs today gave her 587 in her three-year career.

 

Hawai`i posted four unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing on two Aggie errors with runners on base. Kelly Majam led off with a double to the right-centerfield gap and moved to third on a Jasey Jensen ground ball back to the pitcher who unsuccessfully tried to throw Majam out at third. Jensen stole second and after a strike out, Jenna Rodriguez got an infield single to the pitcher to load the bases. Utah State then tallied another strike out before Alex Aguirre hit a ground ball to the pitcher, but her throw sailed over the first baseman allowing both Majam and Jensen to score. With runners at second and third, Sharla Kliebenstein hit a chopper to short that was misfielded for an error that allowed Rodriguez to score from third and leaving runners at the corners. Hawai`i then ran another double steal with Kliebenstein getting caught in a run-down for an out between first and second base, but not before Aguirre crossed the plate for the inning's fourth run.

 

The Aggies got a run back in the top of the second. Kassandra Uchida hit a one-out triple to the rightfield fence and later scored on a fielding error with two-outs on the second baseman, to cut their deficit to 4-1.

 

In the top of the fourth, with two outs and USU pinch-runner Nichole McDonald at first, Megan McDonald drilled a shot down the leftfield line for a double. But on the play, UH got a solid relay from Aguirre-to-Gonzalez-to-Kliebenstein to cut down Nichole McDonald at the plate to thwart their rally.

 

Hawai`i then extended their lead by two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Aguirre led the inning with a walk and Kliebenstein followed with her 13th  home run of the season that sailed over the centerfield fence.

 

The Rainbow Wahine will battle top-seed, New Mexico State (40-15, 17-4 WAC) tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m. 

                                                                                                          -UH-