Game Notes

FULLERTON, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (21-15, 2-1 BWC) heads to Cal State Fullerton for their second Big West three-game series of the year. Last week, UH opened the conference season with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to UC Riverside. But the 'Bows bounced back to sweep Saturday's doubleheader with a pair of shutouts to capture the series, 2-1.
 
Hawai'i's pitching staff stymied the Highlanders as they did not allow an earned run in 21-straight innings. UC Riverside came into Honolulu on a roll, but the 'Bows snapped their six-game winning streak and held their offense to a .167 average after coming into the series hitting .310 as a team. Kanani 'Aina Cabrales led UH, firing two games posting a 1-1 record allowing just eight hits with a 0.00 ERA in 14 innings of work. 'Aina Cabrales now has four shutouts and nine complete games under her belt this season. Brittany Hitchcock also performed well, pitching a four-hit shutout with no walks and five strike outs in her only appearance on the weekend. Hitchcock now has three shutouts and eight complete games this season.
 
UH's offense against UC Riverside was led by freshman Rachel Lack who hit .429 (3-for-7) while playing both third base and leftfield in the series. Junior rightfielder Keiki Carlos was a key catalyst for UH on the week. She scored three of UH's five runs this week while hitting .300 (3-for-10) with a double.
 
Overall, Hawai'i is led by sophomores Heather Morales and Sarina Jaramillo who are both averaging .333 at the plate. Morales is tied with Carlos with a team-high 33 hits and leads UH with 27 RBI. She is hitting 33-for-99 with three doubles and five home runs. Jaramillo—who missed UH's first two games against the Highlanders due to injury—is 32-for-96 at the plate with four doubles and 16 RBI on the season. Kayla Wartner leads UH with 27 runs scored, nine doubles and eight home runs. She is hitting a career-best .320 on the season (31-for-97) with a team-high .660 slugging percentage. Carlos is hitting just under .300 (33-for-111) with 26 runs scored, eight doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI.
 
For Hawai'i, it is their second roadtrip of the season after traveling to play in UNLV's Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in mid-February. The Rainbow Wahine just completed a 26-game homestand in which UH hosted four straight tournaments plus the opening conference series against UCR.
 
Cal State Fullerton Titans (24-13, 2-1 Big West)
Cal State Fullerton was picked to finish second in the preseason Big West coaches poll. Last week, the Titans went 2-1 against UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos opened the series with an 8-6 win over CSF to snap the Titans' eight game win streak. But Cal State Fullerton responded by winning the series by taking the last two games 8-4 and 15-5 in five innings.
 
The Titans' offense has been solid with two players hitting over .400 overall. Courtney Rodriguez has started all 37 games and is hitting a conference-high .426 (55-for-129) with 27 runs scored, six doubles, five triples, a home run and 26 RBI. She also leads Fullerton with 8-of-10 stolen bases. Missy Taukeiaho is right behind Rodriguez hitting .424 (36-for-85) also with 27 runs scored. She leads the Titans with eight home runs and is tied for the team lead with 30 RBI along with Eliza Crawford.
 
In the pitching circle, Desiree Ybarra has a team-best 2.68 ERA in 102.0 innings pitched. She is 9-6 in 23 appearances with two shutouts, 31 walks and 47 strike outs. Christina Washington leads Fullerton however with a 12-3 record and a 4.00 ERA in 98.0 innings pitched. She has three shutouts in 25 appearances with 58 walks and 43 strike outs. Jasmine Anunez is currently 3-4 overall with a 4.79 ERA in 15 appearances and 38.0 innings pitched. She has 33 walks to 21 strike outs.