SANTA BARBARA--The University of Hawai'i softball team (19-16, 3-3 Big West) heads back to California for a three-game conference series at UC Santa Barabara (15-25, 2-4 Big West). After being swept in their first series to No. 18 Long Beach State, the Rainbow Wahine bounced back to record their first conference sweep since 2015, defeating Cal Poly by scores of 1-0, 11-0 (5) and 3-2.

Last week, Hawai'i's senior starting pitcher Dana Thomsen posted back-to-back complete game shutouts en route to earning her first career Big West Pitcher of the Week honor. In the series opener, both teams were locked in a pitcher's duel. Chardonnay Pantastico hit a double to the right-centerfield gap with two runners on to drive in pinch runner Courtney Hiruko for a 1-0 win against the Mustangs. In game two, the 'Bows came out swinging and overpowered Cal Poly, 11-0 in a five-inning mercy rule game. The 'Bows scored seven runs in the first inning alone, powered by home runs by Nicole Lopez, Callee Heen and Alyssa Sojka and a sacrifice fly by Heather Cameron. In the series finale, rookie pitcher Dominique Martines in just her second career start, she gave up two early runs in the top of the first. But Martinez and the 'Bows shut down the Mustangs for the next six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, UH rallied on two outs. Heen was walked and then Cheeks Ramos lined a single to put two runners on board for Rachael Turner who came through in the clutch with a three-run, walkoff home run to lift UH to a 3-2 win and seal the sweep.

Thomsen Named Big West Pitcher of the Week
Senior pitcher Dana Thomsen earned her first ever Big West Pitcher of the Week honor after she stymied the Mustangs with two consecutive shutouts. Thomsen is the first Rainbow Wahine to earn a Big West weekly honor this season.

In the series' opener, Thomsen and Cal Poly pitcher Lindsey Chalmers were locked in a pitcher's duel. Thomsen was able to scatter four hits with no walks and four strikeouts in a 1-0 win. In game two, Thomsen got all the offensive support she needed as she again stifled the Cal Poly offense, limiting them to just three hits with three walks and a strikeout in a five-inning mercy rule 11-0 win.

Thomsen enters this week with an 11-10 overall record and 2-1 conference mark. With the two shutouts, she lowered her ERA to 2.95 this year in 133 innings pitched. She now has four shutouts this season and she has 15 complete games. She will have 37 walks with 107 strikeouts.

Turner's Power Surge Propels UH To Series Sweep
Senior first baseman Rachael Turner was the hero of the Cal Poly series finale. Turner blasted her first career home run over the rightfield fence for a walkoff 3-2 win and to series sweep. This season, she is hitting a career-high .258 batting average and is fourth on the team in average. She already has recorded career-highs with 25 hits, two doubles, 16 RBI and one home run.

Heen Providing Power Surge
Sophomore catcher/designated player Callee Heen is one of just three players (along with Nicole Lopez and Danielle Garcielita) to have started all 32 games thus far this year.  She is leading UH in 10 offenisive categories, including batting average (.384), total hits (38), runs scored (21), home runs (12), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.808), walks (13), on-base percentage (.474), multiple-hit games (10), and multiple-RBI games (8). Heen had her 14-game hit streak snapped as she went hitless in the first two games at LBSU.

Heen's 14-game hit streak that ended in LBSU was the longest hitting streak since former Rainbow Wahine Keiki Carlos hit safely in 15-straight games in 2013.
Heen is just the seventh Rainbow Wahine in the last five seasons to hit 10 or more home runs. Seventeen of her 38 hits have gone for extra bases this season (four doubles, one triple and 12 homers).

Freshmen Klee and Martinez Seeing More Time in the Circle
Rookie southpaw Emily Klee has made seven appearances while posting a 2-1 overall record. She earned her first collegiate win in a 4.1 inning, relief appearance against Cleveland State. Klee made her first collegiate start against the Vikings in the same week and made her longest appearance, throwing 5.1 innings to earn her second win of the season. Last week, she suffered the loss in Game 2 vs. Long Beach State, throwing the first 3.0 innings. Overall, she has a 6.19 ERA in 26.0 innings pitched with 12 walks and 12 strikeouts.

Martinez has made two career starts, the first coming at Long Beach State in the series finale. She earned her first collegiate win in the series finale against Cal Poly. Although she gave up two early runs to start the game, she steadied herself and blanked the Mustangs the rest of the game en route to a 3-2 win. she is still searching for her first career strikeout.

Lopez Staying Steady on Offense
Junior thirdbaseman Nicole Lopez is the third player on the team hitting over .300. The three year starter is hitting .313 (35-for-112). She leads the 'Bows with five doubles and she is second on the team with 19 runs score, 35 hits, 20 RBI, seven home runs and a .545 slugging percentage. For her career, she is hitting .310  with 24 home runs and 75 RBI. Lopez has started the last 141 straight games since her freshman year.
Last week against Cal Poly, for the second time this season and her career, she launched two home runs in one game. She smacked a three-run homer in the first inning and later a two-run bomb to give her a career high five RBI.

Garcielita Back to Top of the Order
After nine games starting with James Madison on March 10, senior centerfielder Danielle Garcielita moved back to the top of the order since game two of the LBSU series. Although she is hitting below .200 overall, she leads UH in conference action hitting .353 (6-for-17). This past week, she led UH with a .444 batting average going 4-for-9 at the plate. Garcielita is one of just three Rainbow Wahine to start all 35 games this season.

Rookie Rossi Remains Offensive Catalyst
Rookie rightfielder Britnee Rossi has started 32 games this year in the outfield. The speedy freshman has already hit two, inside-the-park home runs (vs. Idaho State (2/17) and against Cleveland State (3/17). Against CSU, Rossi cranked out two home runs in the game--including a three-run, walk off home run for the 6-5 win. Currently she is second on the team with a .318 batting average and is third on the team with 16 runs scored. Since moving to the No. 2 batter, she already has three sacrifice bunts to help move runners on base.

Games 36-38
Teams: Hawai'i (19-16, 3-3 Big West) at UC Santa Barbara (15-25, 2-4 Big West)
Dates: Friday, April 13 at 12:00 p.m. HT; Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 a.m. HT (DH)
Site: Campus Diamond (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Livestats: Live in-game stats will be available at ucsbgauchos.com.
Series History: Hawai'i holds a 48-28 record against UC Santa Barbara. Last season, UH won the first two games before falling in the final game of the three game series, 2-3.