HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team evened its overall record to 10-10 and improved to 4-1 in the Big West with a doubleheader sweep over CSUN. The Rainbow Wahine won both games by the score of 4-3. UH starter Brianna Lopez earned a complete game win in the first game and got offensive support from Nawai Kaupe and Maya Nakamura who both hit solo home runs, while Ka'ena Keliinoi had an RBI-double for what proved to be the winning runs. In the second game, UH's Ashley Murphy earned her first win of the day while Chloe Borges picked up her first career save.
  
Hawai'i 4, CSUN 3
In the first inning, Hawai'i jumped out to a 2-0 lead on solo home runs by Nawai Kaupe and Maya Nakamura. For Kaupe, it marked her team-leading fifth homer of the season, while it was Nakamura's second of 2022.
 
Mya'Liah Bethea led the second inning off with a double hit over the right fielder. Later with two outs, Ka'ena Keliinoi hit a high drive to left that tested the limits of the ballpark but the CSUN leftfielder jumped and stole a home run away from Keliinoi.
 
In the top of the third, CSUN was able to load the bases with one out on a single, a hit batter, and a walk. UH got the second out on a fielder's choice hit to Kaupe at shortsop who threw home to Izabella Martinez for the force out. Lopez followed with a  walk that cost UH a run.
 
The Matadors added another run in the fourth to knot the score at 2-2. With runners at second and third Mikayla Carman grounded out to short to drive in Vinessa Nunez from third.
 
Hawai'i quickly responded in the home half of the fourth. Bethea drew a leadoff walk and Mikaela Gandia-Mak then laid down a sac bunt, but a fielding error on the first baseman left both runners safe at first and second. Dallas Millwood then hit a single up the middle to load the bases. Keliinoi then drilled a double to the left-centerfield gap to score both Bethea and Gandia-Mak to retake the lead, 4-2. UH went on to load the bases on one out, but came away empty.
 
CSUN started the fifth with back-to-back singles. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Swan put down a bunt towards first. Millwood flipped to Martinez to get the runner out at home, but on the play the runner from second got caught in a rundown between third and home. Martinez threw to Kaupe covering third who tagged out the runner. Kaupe then threw to Rossi covering second from centerfield to get the batter/runner trying to advance to second, but the throw ricocheted off the glove allowing the batter/runner to advance to third and Nunez to score to trail by one run, 4-3.
 
UH pitcher Lopez improved to 5-4 overall with the complete game win. She allowed three runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
 
CSUN's Kenedee Jamerson took the loss, dropping her record to 3-10 overall. She threw three-plus innings giving up all four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Allie Gardiner shutout UH in the final three innings allowing two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
 
Hawai'i 4, CSUN 3
The Matadors struck first, as Jayme Steward hit a solo home run in the third for an early 1-0 lead.
 
Hawai'i answered by posting a run of its own in the home half of the third on an Izabella Martinez RBI-single ripped up the middle that drove in Brittnee Rossi to tie the game at 1-1.
 
The 'Bows added three runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Keliinoi came through again with a 2-RBI single that drove in both Bethea and pinch runner Piper Neri. Rossi followed with a high fly ball to left that went off the leftfielder's glove for a three-base error. On the play, Keliinoi scored all the way from first and Rossi ended at third.
 
CSUN rallied for two runs in the top of the fifth to trail by just one run. UH starting pitcher Ashley Murphy gave up a single and a walk to start the fifth. Chloe Borges then came in relief and gave up an RBI groundout to second to Nunez which allowed Steward to score and later Aaliya Swan hit an RBI-single down the right-field line to score pinch-runner Mia Cortez.
 
In the seventh, the Matadors tried to rally, putting runners at the corners with two outs. CSUN's Carman then hit a line drive up the middle, but Kaupe made a leaping grab to snag it to end the game.
 
For UH, Murphy earned her first win of the season to improve to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big West. She threw four-plus innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Borges threw three shut-out innings to end the game. She spaced five hits with a pair of strikeouts in her outing.
 
CSUN's Martinez suffered the loss in a complete game effort, falling to 6-7 on the season. She gave up four runs on seven hits with no walks or strikeouts.
 
Hawai'i and CSUN will square off in the series finale on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, March 25^th, but after heavy rains deluged Mānoa, the field was unplayable and the game was rescheduled for Sunday.