HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (20-9, 1-0 Big West) opened the Big West season with a 4-1 win over Long Beach State (13-17, 0-1 BWC) on Friday night at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Senior pitcher Brittany Hitchcock earned the complete-game win.
 
Hitchcock fired her 10^th complete game of the year. She took a shutout into the seventh inning before allowing a run with one out in the final frame. Hitchcock spaced five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
 
In the bottom of the second, Hawai'i took a 1-0 lead on a two-out, RBI single to shallow center by Heather Cameron which drove in Cheeks Ramos who sprinted across the plate from second.
 
In the third, the 'Bows started the innings with Brittnee Rossi drawing a walk and Nicole Lopez driving a single up the middle. On the play, Rossi hustled to third and Lopez advanced to second on the throw to third. With both runners in scoring position, Alyssa Sojka lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Rossi to give UH a 2-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, Hawai'i added a pair of runs after loading the bases with no outs. With the bases juiced, pinch-hitter Jenna Kumabe drew a walk to force Mikaela Gandia-Mak across the plate. Later, Sissy Pantastico hit a sacrifice fly to score Rossi from third to give UH a 4-0 lead.  
 
Hawai'i loaded the bases again in the fifth with one out, but Long Beach State got a strike out and a ground out to second to snuff out the rally. For the game, UH stranded nine runners on base, while LBSU left eight on base.

Long Beach State scored one run in the top of the seventh on an RBI-single up the middle that drove in Katelyn Hanson. But on the play, Rossi fired a strike from centerfield to Cameron at at the plate to cut down the trail runner from second trying to score.
 
Long Beach State's Ashley Coleman took the loss, evening her record to 8-8. She allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and a strikeout. Kellie Whie shut down the 'Bows in the final three innings. She did not allow a run, while giving up three hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

The win snapped UH's four-game losing streak to the Beach dating back to May 12, 2017.
 
The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a three-game series on Saturday, March 30 starting at 2:00 p.m.