HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (10-3, 0-0 Big West) split their doubleheader on Day 2 of the Hawai'i Invitational tournament on Friday Night. Hawai'i fell to DePaul, 4-3 but bounced back to hold off New Mexico, 3-2 at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 
DePaul 4, Hawai'i 3
Box Score (html)
 
The Blue Demons scored first, posting one run in the second inning.  Morgan Greenwood, who led off the inning with a single to left, later scored from third on a fielding error on the shortstop to go up 1-0.
 
Hawai'i tied the score in the bottom of the second on a solo home run to center by Bree Soma. It marked  Soma's second home run of the season.
 
DePaul was held in check through six innings by UH starter Brittany Hitchcock, but in the seventh the Blue Demons erupted for three runs to take a 4-1 lead. The first run scored on a hit/error hit to rightfield that allowed pinch-runner Madison Fisher to score from second. Jessica Cothern then drove in two runs for what proved to be the winning run for a 4-1 lead.
 
Hawai'i tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh but it was not enough as the 'Bows came up just short. Pinch hitter Tatumn Satow got her first hit of the season with one out single looped into leftfield. With two outs, Nicole Lopez blasting a two-run home run to center. But the Blue Demons got a groundout to short to end the game.
 
It was a pitcher's duel through the first six innings, with the score knotted at 1-1 until the top of the seventh.
 
DPU's Krista Dalgarn earned the win to improve to 5-1 with a complete game victory. She stymied the UH batters, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
 
Hawai'i 3, New Mexico 2
Box Score (html)
 
UH pitcher Izzy Dino improved to 4-1 earning her first win in relief. She fired 3.1 scoreless innings, spacing three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Dino came into the game to relieve starter Emily Klee, who got her first start of the season. She allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
New Mexico's Daryn Haslam slammed a solo home run high over the left-centerfield fence in the top of the third for the early 1-0 lead.
 
UH answers right back, posting two runs in the bottom of the third. Tatumn Satow led off by battling for a walk. Satow later scored on a fielding error on the third baseman hit by Cheeks Ramos. Callee Heen followed with an RBI single to right to drive in Lopez who had doubled earlier in the inning to give UH a 2-1 lead.
 
The Lobos tied the game at 2-2 on an RBI single by Maggie Buckholz that drove in Lauren Wilmert from third. Hawai'i's Dino then entered the games with two outs and runners at first and second and got the swinging strike out to snuff out the rally.
 
In the fifth inning, Hawai'i took the lead for good. Heen chopped an RBI-single over the first baseman which allowed Lopez to score from third for what proved to be the winning run, 3-2.
 
In the top of the seventh, New Mexico mounted a rally. The Lobos put runners at first and second with no outs on a fielding error at second and a walk. Dino then got a pop-out and erased the lead runner on a come-backer fielder's choice to third for the second out. Andrea Howard then laced a single to center, but UH centerfielder Brittnee Rossi gunned down the runner trying to score from second to end the game.
 
It was UH's second, one-run win over New Mexico this week. The two teams will square off in tomorrow's first game as well. The final day of the Hawai'i Invitational schedule is as follows:
 
10:00 am – #2 Hawai'i (2-1) vs. #3 New Mexico (1-2)
12:00 pm – #1 DePaul (3-0) vs. #4 Canisius (0-3)
2:00 pm – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
4:00 pm – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (Championship Game)