HONOLULU-- The University of Hawai'i softball team swept past UC Riverside in a Saturday doubleheader at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The Rainbow Wahine squeezed past the Highlanders, 8-7, in extra innings in the first half of the doubleheader before cruising to a 8-1 win to close out the weekend.

The Rainbow Wahine improved to 11-9 overall and 10-5 in the Big West while notching a series win for the second consecutive weekend and fourth time overall.  A night after getting stymied in a 2-1 loss to the Highlanders (4-20, 3-12 BWC), UH's bats game alive as the team combined for 16 runs and 25 hits on the day.  
 
Game 1
In a back-and-forth affair, the Rainbow Wahine out-lasted the Highlanders in nine innings. Brittnee Rossi's walk-off single with the bases loaded proved to be the game-winner. Rossi went a stellar 4-of-6 for the game with two runs batted and one run.
 
After a bitter loss on Friday, the Rainbow Wahine refused  to lose this one as UH overcame a two-run deficit on three occasions. Nawai Kaupe went yard for her team-leading fourth home run of the year to give UH a 3-2 lead in the fifth but UCR responded when Gianna Araki hit a three-run bomb in the top of the sixth.
 
After UH tied it in the bottom of the sixth, UCR re-took the lead again with the long ball as Katherine Montuya hit a two-run homer with in the eighth. But UH fired back with three hits and three runs in the final two frames, capped by Rossi's chopper to right field to pull out the win.  
 
 
Game 2
Jetta Nannen pitched six  scoreless innings and the UH offense exploded for six runs in the third and fourth innings as UH breezed past the Highlanders 8-1 in the second game of the doubleheader.
 
Marissa Burk send the second pitch of the game over the center field wall to give UCR an early 1-0 lead. But after that it was all UH. Nannen settled down and spread out three hits to shut out the Highlanders the rest of the way.
 
Rossi continued to swing a hot bat for the 'Bows, with another multi-hit game, going 3-of-4 from the plate and scoring three runs, while driving in another. Freshman Maya Nakamura also enjoyed a multi-hit game and added two runs batted in.

The Rainbow Wahine will be idle next week before playing host to Long Beach State in a four-game series April 30-May 1 at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.