Game Notes

HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team opens the Big West season against the conference's top team, UC Riverside in a three-game series this week. The two teams will square off with a single game this Friday, March 27 and a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Hawai'i is currently 19-14 overall and most recently split a doubleheader with Columbia last week. The three-game tilt against the Highlanders will conclude a 27-game homestand for the Rainbow Wahine.
 
Sophmore first baseman/pitcher Heather Morales leads UH with a .356 batting average. She is tied for the team lead with 32 hits and has tallied a team-high 26 RBI. Morales also has three doubles and five home runs. Fellow sophomore shortstop Sarina Jarmillo is second on the team with a .340 batting average, going 32-for-94 at the plate. Senior Kayla Wartner is now third on the team with a .330 average (29-for-88) with a team-high 27  runs scored, eight doubles, and eight home runs. She also leads UH with 20 walks.
 
In the pitching circle, freshman Brittany Hitchcock leads UH with a 9-5 record and a 2.56 ERA in 98.1 innings pitched. She has 48 strike outs with 26 walks and has seven complete games with two shut outs in 20 appearances. Kanani Aina Cabrales is 9-9 with a 3.01 ERA in 95.1 innings pitched. She has a team-high 70 strike outs with 34 walks and three shut outs and seven complete games in 20 appearances. In UH's second game against Columbia, Aina Cabrales had her best outing as a Rainbow Wahine fanning 13 Lions with no walks in a 5-1 win. She allowed one unearned run on five scattered hits. Prior to that outing, Aina Cabrales lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Virginia Tech in a pitchers' duel.
 
The UC Riverside Highlanders lead the Big West going into conference play with a 28-7 overall record. UCR is currently on a five-game win streak after sweeping five games at the LMU Invitational last week. They have the reigning Big West Player and Pitcher of the Week Haley Harris and Chelsea Ponce. Harris leads the Highlanders with a .409 batting average (45-for-110) with a team-high 30 runs scored and 10-of-11 stolen bases. She also leads UCR with five triples and a .545 slugging percentage. Jenna Duran is hitting .352 (38-for-108) with a team-high five doubles and 22 walks and is second on the team with 27 runs scored.
 
In the pitching circle, Ponce leads UCR with a dominant 20-3 record and 1.10 ERA in 140.1 innings pitched. Last week, she fired the school's first no-hitter in its Division I-era in a 7-0 shutout against Bethune Cookman. In the same game, the Highlanders set a new record for single-season wins, earning their 26th victory of the year. She has 116 strike outs and 67 walks. Tayler Misfeldt has seen the second most innings pitched with 36.0 innings under her belt. She is 4-1 with a 2.53 ERA.
 
Games 34-36
Who: Hawai'i (19-14, 0-0 Big West) vs. UC Riverside (28-7 0-0 Big West)
When: Friday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 28 at 4:00 p.m. (doubleheader)
Where: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, O'ahu (Admission is FREE)
Promotions: California Hotel and Casino is this weekends series sponsor and will provide great prizes for the winners of the popular "Ballpark Bingo." There will be an autograph session following Friday night's game. 
Television: OCSports will be broadcasting all three games this week statewide on channels 16 (SD) and 1015 (HD). Scott Robbs handling the play-by-play and Lori Santi as the color analyst.
Live Streaming Video: Watch the game online at www.BigWest.tv.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats can be linked to at www.HawaiiAthletics.com
Series History: Hawai'i leads the series against UC Riverside, 17-2, with UH winning the last 12 straight. Last season, UH swept the Highlanders on the road, winning 7-3 in the single game and then 8-7 and 4-1 in the doubleheader to start the conference season in 2014.