LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (3-3) split their doubleheader on the second day of the DeMarini Desert Classic. The Rainbow Wahine shutout San Jose State, 3-0 at Eller Media Stadium but fell to Texas State in the afternoon at the Stephanie Lynn Craig Softball Park.
Hawai'i 3, San Jose State 0
Hawai'i starting pitcher
Brittany Hitchcock fired her second complete game shutout of the season while
Callee Heen launched her first career home run to lift UH to the win over their former Western Athletic Conference rival. The Rainbow Wahine improve to 3-2 while SJSU falls to 3-4.
Hitchcock scattered four hits in the shutout and did not allow a runner past second base. She walked two batters and struck out five Spartans. Hitchcock improved to 2-1 on the season.
All of the game's scoring came in the top of the third inning.
Danielle Garcielita led off frame with an opposite-field single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Sarah Muzik.
Heather Morales then drilled a single to leftfield to score the speedy Garcielita from second for UH's first run.
Callee Heen then stepped to the plate and crushed her first collegiate home run over the centerfield fence to give UH a 3-0 lead. Heen went 2-for-3 for the game and she now leads UH with seven RBI overall. It was UH's third home run of the year thus far. That was all the runs UH would need as Hitchcock and the Rainbow Wahine defense shut down the Spartans' offense.
San Jose State's Kacie Gresenz suffered the loss. She threw the first 4-1/3 innings, allowing the three runs on nine hits with two walks and a strikeout. Emily Rogers tossed the final 2-2/3 innings. She did not allow any runs but did give up three hits with two walks.
Hawai'i's 12 hits in the game was the most since racking up 12 against Columbia (March 17, 2015) in a 7-6 loss in eight innings.
Texas State 6, Hawai'i 1
In the bottom of the second, the Bobcats took an early 2-0 lead on a two-run home run to leftfield by Jaelyn Young.
In the third inning,
Nicole Lopez drilled her first home run of the season. Her solo shot over the left-centerfield fence was the sixth of the sophomore's career. It cut UH's deficit in half as they trailed the Bobcats, 2-1.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI single by Jaclyn Molenaar that drove in Sarah Rupp from third.
Hawai'i had its best opportunity to score in the fifth as they loaded the bases with no outs. Garcielita beat out the throw at first for a single as the leadoff. Muzik then doubled to the left-centerfield gap to put runners and second and third. Lopez then drew a walk to juice the bases. But Texas State then got a line-out back to the pitcher for the first out; a fielder's choice from shortstop to the catcher for the second out; and a strikeout to thwart the UH rally.
But Texas State then added three more runs to increase their lead to 6-1 on a three-run home run by Young in the fifth.
Kanani Aina Cabrales (1-1) took the loss, giving up three runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Dana Thomsen came in relief of Aina Cabrales in the fifth inning and threw the final two frames. She allowed three runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Randi Rupp (3-1) earned the win for Texas State. She threw six innings allowing a run on four hits with four walks. Quincy Charleston tossed the final inning for the Bobcats.
The Rainbow Wahine will again play two games on Saturday, Feb. 18. UH will take on Memphis at Eller Media Stadium at 10:15 a.m. HT and then Colorado State at the SLC Park at 2:45 p.m. HT.
