BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (27-15, 10-6 Big West) opened their three-game road series with a 7-1 win over CSU Bakersfield (6-33, 1-15 BW). Hawai'i's sophomore starting pitcher
Brianna Lopez earned the complete game win while senior centerfielder
Cira Bartolotti led UH going 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles on Friday afternoon at the Roadrunner Softball Complex.
Lopez improved to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in conference. In her 13th complete game of the season, she allowed just one run on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Lopez opened the game tallying her 100th strikeout of the season.
Bartolotti collected a career-high three hits in the win. She also had an RBI-double and scored a run.
In the top of the first, UH loaded the bases with no outs on a walk and back-to-back singles. A walk to
Haley Johnson scored Xiao Gin.
Izabella Martinez followed with an RBI-groundout that pushed
Ka'ena Keliinoi across the plate. Later with one out,
Maycen Gibbs drove in a pair of runs on a single up the middle to score both
Maya Nakamura and Johnson to give UH an early 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, the Roadrunners started with back-to-back singles and later loaded the bases with one out. But the 'Bows turned an inning-ending double play as Lopez caught a pop fly and fired to Keliinoi at third to double-up the runner to escape unscathed.
Hawai'i struck again in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of CSUB errors. Martinez reached a fielding error on the first baseman.
Alyssa Nakagawa entered the game as a pinch-runner at first. After a fly out, Nakagawa advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gibbs and then third on a passed ball.
Cira Bartolotti then collected her career-high third hit of the game with an RBI-double down the leftfield line to score Nakamura.
Cierra Yamamoto then hit a single to right to drive in Bartolotti, but on the play a fielding error on the rightfielder allowed the ball to roll to the fence allowing Yamamoto to race around the bases on the three-base error, giving UH a 7-0 lead.
In the sixth, the Roadrunners got on the scoreboard on a two-out double by Savanna Montoya that scored pinch-runner Jay Reeves.
CSU Bakersfield's Brianna Sanchez suffered the loss, dropping her record to 5-14 overall. She just threw the first inning, but allowed four runs on four hits with two outs. Kirsten Martinez threw the final six innings in relief. She gave up three unearned runs while scattering five hits with a strikeout and no walks.
The two teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15 with the first pitch scheduled for 9:00 a.m. HT at the Roadrunner Softball Complex.
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