RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (15-15, 9-6 Big West.) split Saturday's doubleheader at UC Riverside. Hawai'i fell in the first game 3-2, but bounced right back to win the series finale, 7-1 to clinch the series. Hawai'i has now won four of its first five Big West series this season. The Rainbow Wahine have won eight of nine BWC series vs. UC Riverside since joining the Big West in 2013.
 
GAME 1: UC Riverside 3, Hawai'i 2
The opening game of Saturday's doubleheader was a pitcher's dual between UH's Ashley Murphy and UCR's Chrys Hillenbrand. The score was tied 2-2 before the Highlanders scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.
 
In the first, UCR's Haley Kela hit a two-run home run to give the Highlanders a quick 2-0 lead to start the game.
 
Hawai'i's Brittnee Rossi came up to the plate in the third with two outs. She drilled a solo home run to centerfield, cutting UH's deficit in half, 2-1. It marked Rossi's second home run of the season and the 15^th of her career.
 
In the top of the fourth, UH knotted the score at 2-2 as Ka'ena Keliinoi led off with a solo home run that left the yard over the left-centerfield fence. It was Keliinoi's second homer of the season and third of the sophomore's career. The home run also extended Keliinoi's hitting streak to seven games.
 
The Highlanders' Nadia Witt hit an RBI-double in the sixth, driving in Taylor Burdette from first for what proved to be the winning run.
 
Hawai'i starter Ashley Murphy threw the first five and a third innings. She allowed three runs on seven hits with five walks and a strikeout. Reliever Cira Bartolotti got the final two outs of the sixth with a strikeout.
 
UC Riverside's Chrys Hillenbrand earned the complete game victory, allowing two runs on just three hits with a walk and nine strikeouts to improve to 8-8 overall.
 
GAME 2: Hawai'i 7, UC Riverside 1
In the second inning, Hawai'i struck first, posting a pair of runs on an RBI single by Dallas Millwood which drove in both Haley Johnson and Izabella Martinez for the early 2-0 lead.
 
The Rainbow Wahine added two more runs in the third on an RBI single by Martinez and a run scoring error hit by Casey Beaulac that drove in Nakamura and Johnson respectively. Hawai'i extended their lead to 6-0 with two more runs in the fifth as the same two Rainbow Wahine combined for the runs. Martinez came up with runners at second and third. Martinez hit a ground out to the rightside of the infield allowing Keliinoi to score for her second RBI. Beaulac followed with an RBI-grounder to short to drive in Nakamura.
 
The Highlanders got a run on the scoreboard in the fifth on a Lauren Garewal RBI double that drove in Witt from first. UCR went on to load the bases with one out, but the 'Bows got a pair of infield pop-outs to thwart the rally from doing more damage.
 
Hawai'i added one more run in the seventh as Mya'Liah Bethea drove a single to center to drove in Nakamura from second, giving the 'Bows a 7-1 lead. On the play however, Bethea tried to advance to third on the throw home, but was cut down by a good throw by the catcher.
 
UC Riverside went down in order in the seventh to end the game as Hawai'i won the series, 2-1 with the rubber game win.
 
Hawai'i's Brianna Lopez notched her second, complete game win of the weekend, allowing one run on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts. She improves to 9-6 overall and 6-3 in the Big West. It was Lopez's 13^th complete game of the year.
 
UC Riverside's starter Katie Barbarick threw the first six innings giving up six runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Maddie Heinlin got the final three outs allowing one run on one hit.
 
With her hits in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, Keliinoi extended her hitting-streak to nine straight games. And although Nakamura did not get a hit in the first game, she still has her "reached base safely" streak still intact at 10 consecutive games after getting plunked in UH's 3-2 loss. 

Hawai'i will return home to host a three-game Big West series vs. CSU Bakersfield. The teams will square off in a single game on Friday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 23 beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.