Series Notes

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (33-16, 11-7 WAC) concludes their regular season with a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at San Jose State (19-32, 5-13 WAC) this weekend. A single game will be played on Friday, May 6 at 3:00 pm with a doubleheader to follow on Saturday May, 7 at 1:00 pm at the SJSU Softball Complex.

 

The Rainbow Wahine played its best WAC series of the season last week, sweeping then-conference leader New Mexico State with scores of 3-2, 5-4, and 5-4. All three games were see-saw battles that came down to UH's final at bat that decided the outcome. In the first game, junior pitcher Stephanie Ricketts fired a 10-inning complete game—taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning—to earn her 19th win of the season. Junior leftfielder Alex Aguirre came through with an RBI-single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to open the series with a crucial win that secured UH a spot in the WAC tournament. In the series' second game, Aguirre struck again, launching a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to leapfrog the Aggies for the win, 5-4. Sophomore shortstop Jessica Iwata then drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to sweep NMSU in UH's Senior Game, 5-4.

Iwata led UH at the plate, hitting .636 (7-for-11) with a double, a home run, three runs, and six RBI. She also drove in the game winning run with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh in game three. Alex Aguirre hit .500 (4-for-8) and was the hero in games one and two, hitting an opposite-field RBI single with the base`s loaded in the opener. In the second game, she blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to lift UH to a 5-4 win. Senior utility player, Jenna Rodriguez came through in the clutch during tight situations to earn both wins in Saturday's doubleheader as a relief pitcher.

 

Overall, Iwata leads the Rainbow Wahine with a .340 average (51-for-150) with team highs in hits (51), runs scored (38), home runs (12-tied with Sharla Kliebenstein), slugging percentage (.627), and on-base percentage (.438). Rodriguez is second on the team with a .309 average (37-for-149) with six doubles, four homers, and 28 RBI) while Aguirre has raised her average to .282 (37-for-131) with a team-high 11 stolen bases.   

 

San Jose State enters this week with a 19-32 overall record and 5-13 mark in conference. Last week in Ruston, La., the Spartans lost the first game 1-2, but bounced back to take Saturday's doubleheader and the series 4-1 and 5-3. They are getting hot, winning three of their last four games and it will be an emotional weekend for the Spartans who before each day's games will be honoring the life of former teammate, Deanna Mauer, who tragically passed away in a car accident this past weekend.

 

Freshman infielder Annica Wolf has started 48 games for SJSU this season and leads the squad with a .308 average (41-for-133) with six doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBI. Junior infielder Alex Stange is second on the team with a .299 average. She has hit a team-high 44 hits in 147 at-bats with seven doubles and three homers. Look out for freshman outfielder Britney Helm who leads SJSU with 27 runs scored and sophomore infielder Cheryl Freitas who has driven in a team-high 25 RBI and leads the Spartans with four home runs.

 

The pitching staff is mostly comprised of four pitchers, led by redshirt junior Jennifer Ames' 4.24 ERA. She is 7-15 this season with 11 complete games and 138.2 innings pitched. Senior Elyssa Fox is 5-13 with a 4.28 ERA in 93.1 innings. She has struck out 64 while walking 34. Janessa Gutierrez has a 5-4 record with a 5.28 ERA and Alex Molina is 2-0 with a 5.13 ERA.

 

What: Hawai'i (33-16, 11-7 WAC) at San Jose State (19-32, 5-13 WAC)

Special Game Notes: “Senior Day” festivities for San Jose State will either take place before Friday or Saturday's games. They will also be observing a moment of silence before each day in honor of SJSU alum, Deanna Mauer, who tragically died this past week in a car accident. She pitched for the Spartans in 2008-09.

When: Friday, May 6, 2011 at 3:00 pm; Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm (DH)

Where: SJSU Softball Complex (700)

Radio Coverage: None

Live Stats: Available at http://www.sjsuspartans.com

Coaches: UH head coach Bob Coolen is 822-537-1 in his 25th overall season and 750-444-1 in his 20th year at Hawai'i. San Jose State's head coach Peter Turner is 119-156 in his fifth season at SJSU.

Series Information: UH leads the series against San Jose State, 64-26 with UH winning their last four meetings. Last season, the 'Bows swept the three-game series in Honolulu against SJSU to open the 2010 WAC season (3-2 (10 innings), 7-3, 7-1). The Rainbow Wahine also defeated the Spartans to start the WAC tournament, 16-8. The last time UH played at San Jose State, the 'Bows won the first two games before falling 4-5 in the series finale. 


                                                                                                                                                            -UH-