HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (30-13, 11-4 Big West) swept Saturday's doubleheader over UC Riverside. The Rainbow Wahine blasted seven total home runs on the day—five coming in the first game en route to a 9-1 win in five innings, and two coming in the series finale which ended with UH winning 4-1. Jenna Kumabe hit a walkoff home run to end the first game, while Callee Heen hit a walkoff three-run shot to seal the sweep in eight innings on Saturday afternoon at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Senior pitcher Brittany Hitchcock earned all three wins of the series—the first two were complete game victories and the last win came in relief. Hawai'i remains in the hunt for the Big West Conference title with a 13-4 league record.
 
 
Hawai'i 9, UC Riverside 1
Box Score (html)
 
Hawai'i powered their way past the Highlanders to clinch the series with an 9-1, five inning win in the first game of the doubleheader. The Rainbow Wahine launched five home runs in the game by Nicole Lopez, Alyssa Sojka, Madison Veldman, Brittnee Rossi and Jenna Kumabe.
 
Senior Brittany Hitchcock earned her second, complete game win of the series to improve to 16-7 overall and 8-2 in the Big West. She allowed just one run while spacing three hits with no walks and two strike outs.
 
The Highlanders however, jumped out to a 1-0 lead to start the game. UCR scored on an RBI-double by Sarah Parten that drove in Hannah Rodriguez from second.
 
Hawai'i answered right back with a power surge in the bottom of the first with UH hitting three home runs. Lopez and Sojka blasted back-to-back home runs. Later in the inning Madison Veldman lifted a three-run home run off the top of the leftfield fence. Lopez's homer was a two-run dinger that sailed over the left-centerfield fence. It drove in Brittnee Rossi who had earlier worked her way on with a walk. For Lopez, it was her 12^th home run of the season—tying her career high. It was her 37^th home run of her four-year career. For Sojka, it was her fifth round-tripper of the season and her seventh of her career. For Veldman, it was her third home run of the season and her career. The ball bounced off the top of the padding on the outfield fence for the homer.
 
The Rainbow Wahine extended their lead to 8-1 in the fourth. Rossi led off the inning with a solo home run over the right-centerfield. It was her second home run in the series and the ninth of her career. UH went on to load the bases and Mikaela Gandia-Mak drove in Lopez on a sacrifice fly to left.
 
Kumabe ended the game on a pinch-hit, walk-off, solo home run in the fifth as UH won, 9-1. It was the second home run of Kumabe's career. It marked UH's eighth mercy-rule win of the season.
 
The Highlanders used four pitchers in the first game. Jacy Boles took the loss, falling to 10-7 overall. She gave up six runs on three hits and only lasted two-thirds of the first inning. She was also charge with two walks and a hit batter. Melanie Olmos threw the next 2.1 scoreless innings allowing just two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Rebecca Faulkner lasted just 1/3 of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk. Haley Marschall threw one complete inning, giving up the final run.
 
 
Hawai'i 4, UC Riverside 1 (8 innings)
Box Score (HTML)
 
Freshman pitcher Izzy Dino got the start and threw the first 4.1 innings. She gave up one run while spacing eight hits. She issued one walk. Hitchcock made her third appearance of the series and threw 3.2 innings in relief. She shut down UCR allowing just two hits with one strikeout earning the win.
 
The Highlanders once again took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, posting one run off an RBI-single by Sami Denyon that drove in Olmos from second. UCR went on to load the bases, but UH starter I
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Cheeks Ramos drilled a solo home run over the leftfield fence to tie the game at 1-1. It was Ramos' 10^th home run of her career and the third of the season.
 
With the Highlanders rallying in the fifth, Hitchcock came into the game in relief of Dino with runners at first and second and one out. Hitchcock came in and got groundouts to short and third to extinguish the rally.
 
Both sides were held off the scoreboard and the game headed into extra innings as the score remained tied at 1-1 after seven complete innings.
 
In the eighth inning, UH's first two batters reaches safely with Rossi getting on with a walk and Lopez reaching on a single. After a strikeout, Callee Heen drove a three-run home run over the centerfield fence to end the game and the series. The homer was Heen's 14^th of the season, tying her career-high. It also was her 37^th of her career.

Saturday was Power in Pink day at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The 'Bows wore special Under Armour pink jerseys in recognition of breast cancer awareness.
 
The Rainbow Wahine head to California for their final roadtrip of the season as they take on CSUN. The two teams will play a single game on Friday, May 3 and a doubleheader on Saturday, May 4.