HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (29-18, 12-9 Big West) dropped Saturday's doubleheader as Long Beach State won the series, 2-1. The Beach came-from-behind to win the first game, 6-2 then pulled away to mercy rule the Rainbow Wahine in the series finale, 8-0 at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 
GAME 1: Long Beach State 6, Hawai'i 2
In the bottom of the fourth, Hawai'i's Maycen Gibbs broke up  launched her first career home run. Her blast sailed over the centerfield fence giving UH a 1-0 lead. She became the 11^th Rainbow Wahine to hit a homer this season.
 
The Beach started the fifth with a pair of walks. But Brianna Lopez settled down to get a fly out to left, a strikeout and a groundout to short to end the frame.
 
Hawai'i added a run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Maya Nakamura and Haley Johnson got back-to-back hits. Johnson's was a double to left-center that pushed Nakamura to third. Izabella Martinez then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Nakamura.
 
UH starter Brianna Lopez took a no-hitter and a shutout going into the sixth. But the Beach quickly broke up both with a leadoff solo home run by Sara Olson. LBSU rallied for five more runs on two hits four walks and two errors. During the frame, UH went through four different pitchers, starting with Lopez and followed by relievers McKenna Kostyszyn, Chloe Borges, and ending with Millie Fidge.
 
Lopez suffered the loss dropping her record to 15-9. She gave up three runs on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts. McKenna Kostyszyn  gave up two runs on a hit and faced two batters. Chloe Borges gave up a hit and a run with a walk. Millie Fidge closed the game, giving up one hit with three walks and a strikeout.
 
Long Beach State's Sophia Fernandez earned the complete game win, allowing two runs on six hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
 
 
GAME 2 – Long Beach State 8, Hawai'i 0 (5 innings)
Long Beach State jumped out to a four-run lead in the second inning, racking up five hits plus a UH error to vault into the lead.
 
The Beach tacked on another four runs in the fifth inning, to win by mercy rule. Olson homered to center to start the inning off. Lopez then entered the game. LBSU had three hits in the inning, but two errors and a passed ball allowed the other three runs.
 
UH starter Key-Annah Campbell-Pua threw the first four-plus innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Lopez got the last three outs, giving up three runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
The Beach's Eryka Gonzales earned the complete game win firing a shutout. She spaced four hits with two strikeouts.
 
The Rainbow Wahine travels to face league-leader Cal State Fullerton next week. The three-game series opens with a single game on Friday, May 5 at 6:00 P.M. HT. The two teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, May 6^th. First pitch is slated for 11:00 A.M. HT.