Game Notes

LONG BEACH, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (19-16, 4-2 Big West) travels to California for a pivotal Big West battle with league-leader Long Beach State (29-9, 6-0 Big West) this weekend. The two teams will start the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 12 and then conclude the series on Sunday, April 13 with a single game. Both days' games will start at 1:00 p.m. at the 49er Softball Complex. All three games in the series will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Hawai'i went 1-2 last week against Cal State Fullerton. The 'Bows fell 5-3 in the opening, extra-inning game but rebounded the next day to win 6-5 with a walk-off win to start the day. But in the rubber game, the Titans erupted for 11 runs in the third inning en route to a 12-3 run-rule win to capture the series, 2-1.
 
In the three-game series against CSF, junior first baseman Leisha Li`ili`i continued her hot hitting at the plate, going 4-for-7 for a team-high .571 batting average. She also led UH with six RBI while drilling a double and a home run for a 1.143 slugging percentage. Freshman Lindsey Willmon hit .333 in the series, launching two home runs out of her four hits. Willmon was responsible for driving in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to down the Titans, 6-5.
 
Overall, Li'ili'i continues to lead UH with a .392 batting average (38-for-97), 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 20 walks. Sophomore rightfielder/pitcher Keiki Carlos is second on the squad hitting .348 with a team-high 39 hits, 28 runs scored and nine doubles, while senior second baseman Jazmine Zamora is hitting a solid .310 (31-for-100) with 16 runs scored and 10 RBI.
 
In the pitching circle, rookie Heather Morales has fired three complete-game wins in her last three starts. She is now 9-6 with a 5.03 ERA in 89.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Loie Kesterson is 10-7 overall with a 4.32 ERA in 113.1 innings.
 
Long Beach State is riding an eight-game win streak—with three of those wins coming by the mercy rule. Nine of the top 10 49ers are hitting over the .300 mark, led by Shayna Kimbrough who is hitting just a shade under .400 at .398 (45-for-113). Ashlynn Booker is hitting .377 with seven doubles and six home runs and 20 RBI while Cya Neal is batting .376 with a team-high 47 hits in 125 at-bats. She has scored a team-best 30 runs and is 10-of-11 in stolen bases.
 
The 49er pitching staff is led Erin Jones-Wesley and Amanda Hansen. Jones-Wesley is 16-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 114.0 innings. She has fanned 122 opposing batters while walking 61. Amanda Hansen is 13-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 101.1 innings with 48 strike outs to 35 walks.
 
Games 36-38
Who: Hawai'I (19-16, 4-2 Big West) vs. Long Beach State (29-9, 6-0 Big West)
When: Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 pm (DH); Sunday April 13 at 1:00 pm
Where: 49er Softball Complex
Television/Live Video Stream: ESPN3 will be broadcasting all three games of the series.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be available at www.longbeachstate.com
Series History: Long Beach State leads the series over UH, 51-26. Last season, Hawai'i the opening game, 7-4 but senior All-America pitcher Kaia Parnaby went down in the game with a broken nose. LBSU then took the series winning the final two games, 14-7 and 11-3 in five innings.