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TUCSON, Ariz.—The No. 13/16 University of Hawai`i softball team (44-9, 17-3  WAC) fell in a back-and-forth battle with North Dakota State, 9-7. The loss eliminated the Rainbow Wahine from the NCAA tournament on Saturday at the Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Softball Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Wahine struck first, posting a single run in the top of the second. Leisha Li`ili`i led off the rally with a walk and then pinch runner Jordan Burton moved to second and then third on two consecutive sacrifice bunts by Alex Aguirre and Dara Pagaduan. Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu then ripped a double down the leftfield line to score Burton from third to give UH a 1-0 lead.
 
Hawai`i then took a 4-1 win after back-to-back home runs by Kayla Wartner and Sarah Robinson. Wartner cranked her fifth home run of the season to centerfield and for Robinson's sailed over the leftfield fence. It marked her eighth dinger of the season.
 
The Bison answered back to take a 5-4 lead with a two-out rally to score four in the bottom of the third. Taylor Mortensen led off the inning with a double to the left-center gap. After a fly out to center, Katie Tamayo hit a fly ball to right that bounced out of the glove of the rightfielder for an error to put runners on and second and third. Parnaby got a ground out to first to hold the runners in place but the next batter Brea Konz got a bases-clearing single to left. The next batter hit a low line drive that Brynne Buchanan caught off her shoetops, but an illegal pitch was called and the runner moved to third and a ball was issued to the batter, Amanda Grable. Grable then proceeded to hit an RBI double to score Konz from third easily. UH starter Kaia Parnaby was then lifted for Stephanie Ricketts who got the last out on a come-backer to end the inning.
 
UH see-sawed back into the lead in the top of the fourth, on Wartner's second two-run home run of the game. This homer was a line-shot that was just over the fence in rightfield and drove in Buchanan who had walked earlier in the inning.
 
North Dakota then tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run to left.
 
Hawai`i countered in the fifth, posting one run on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Jocelyn Enrique that drove in Aguirre who had singled earlier in the inning to take a 7-6 lead.
 
But in the bottom of the fifth the Bison scored two runs on a fielding error and a fielder's choice to take the lead for good. NDSU then padded their lead with another solo home run in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Parnaby threw the first 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits with one strike out. Ricketts who fired the final 3.1 innings, suffered the loss bringing her record to 28-6. She had three strike outs while allowing four runs on four hits.
 
The Rainbow Wahine finished the season with four-straight losses—the longest losing streak of the season. The 'Bows are now 1-6 all time in Regional games played in Tucson. In 1998, UH went 1-2 and in 2001 the 'Bows were 0-2.
 
It was the final game for fourth-year junior Jocelyn Enrique and seniors Alex Aguirre, Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu, Shannon Lum, Dara Pagaduan, Stephanie Ricketts, and Sarah Robinson.
 

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