HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (28-13, 9-4 Big West) shut down UC Riverside in the series opener, 2-0. Senior pitcher Brittany Hitchcock fired a four-hit shutout while Brittnee Rossi launched a solo home run and Alyssa Sojka came through with an RBI-single on Friday night at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 
Hitchcock improved to 15-7 overall and 7-2 in conference. She did not allow a walk until she had two outs in the seventh inning. She also struck out four batters in the win while facing just 26 batters.
 
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Rainbow Wahine broke onto the scoreboard to take a 2-0 lead. Brittnee Rossi launched a solo home run over the leftfield fence. It was her fourth home run of the season and the eighth of her career. Nicole Lopez kept things going, ripping a double to the right-centerfield gap. After a UC Riverside pitching change, Alyssa Sojka drilled a single to the right-center gap to drive in Lopez. UH would go on to load the bases, but the Highlanders would stymie the UH getting a pop out and a strikeout out to end the frame.
 
On defense, Lopez turned a pair of important, inning ending, double plays to snuff out Highlander rallies in the fourth and sixth innings to preserve the shutout.
 
UC Riverside starting pitcher Melanie Olmos threw the first 4.1 innings. She allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Jacy Boles closed the game, throwing the final 1.2 innings giving up two hits and two walks. She also fanned three UH batters.
 
The two teams will square off in a series ending doubleheader on Saturday, April 27 beginning at 2:00 pm at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.