HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (3-10) split their doubleheader on Day 2 of the Spring Fling Tournament. The Rainbow Wahine held off Portland State, 6-5, but fell to LMU, 4-2 on Friday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in front of its biggest home crowd of the season.
 
Hawai'i 6, Portland State 5
The Vikings struck first, with an RBI single to second allowing a run to cross the plate in the top of the first.
 
Hawai'i got the run back in the bottom of the first. Xiao Gin led off with a walk and later came home on an RBI-double down the rightfield line to tie the score at 1-1.
 
In the second Ka'ena Keliinoi drilled a double to score both Gin and pinch-runner Larissa Goshi to take a 3-1 lead.
 
The Vikings answered right back with an RBI-triple and an RBI-single to knot the score at 3-3.
 
Mya'Liah Bethea led off the fourth with a double into the leftfield corner. Dallas Millwood then was plunked and Maycen Gibbs laid down a bunt that she legged out for a single to load the bases with no outs. Gin the hit an opposite field shot in the 5-6 hole to drive in Bethea and Martinez later followed with a grounder up the middle which the shortstop snagged and flipped to second for the fielder's choice for the second out but scored Millwood to lengthen UH's lead to 5-3.
 
Portland State fought their way back to tack on two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game again. With a runner on first, Maddie Thomson hit a single to left, but a fielding error allowed the runner to race around the bases to score. Logan Riggenbac the doubled to left to drive in Thompson to tie things at 5-5.
 
But in the sixth, UH broke the tie as Cierra Yamamoto crossed the plate after Keliinoi reached on an error by the shortstop.
 
Hawai'i starter Addison Kostrencich gave up three runs on seven hits in three innings. Reliever Millie Fidge (1-1) earned her first win of the season holding the Vikings to two runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in four innings of work. She ended the game with a strikeout.
 
Portland State's Sherrei Nakoa-Chung got the start and gave up five runs on six hits in three innings. She issued two walks and fanned three Rainbow Wahine. Grace Kimball suffered the loss in relief. She allowed the winning run and gave up a hit with a pair of K's.
 
 
LMU 4, Hawai'i 2
In the second inning, LMU's Mika Chong lifted a two run home run to center for  a quick 2-0 lead.
 
Hawai'i's starting pitcher Chloe Borges helped herself  by blasting a towering two-run home run high over the leftfield fence. Borges' bomb drove in Haley Johnson who had led off the frame by ripping a double down the rightfield line. It is Borges' third-straight home run dating back to UH's last game against fifth-ranked Tennessee at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
 
But the Lions; Arianna Jaurequi led off the next inning with a double then scored on an RBI single by Adele Braun to take the lead, 3-2. A leadoff walk to LMU extended their lead to 4-2 on a sacrifice fly by Chong.
 
In her longest appearance of the season, Borges allowed four runs on seven hits with seven walks and two strikeouts in six-plus innings of work. Reliever McKenna Kostyszyn did not allow a hit or a run in the final frame which ended on a double-play with Keliinoi fielding a chopper to third. She stepped on third then fired to first to gun down the batter/runner at first.
 
LMU's Savannah Hooks (1-0) earned the complete game win, allowing two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts.
 
LMU finished the pool play undefeated and earned the No. 1 seed. With a 2-1 record, Hawai'i finished as the No. 2 seed. Tennessee State went 1-2 to be the No. 3 Seed and Portland State was 0-3 and is the No. 4 Seed.
 
The Spring Fling Tournament's Day Three schedule is as follows:
 
Saturday March 2 2024
10:00 a.m. – No. 2 Hawai'i vs. No. 3 Tennessee State
12:30 p.m. – No. 1 LMU vs. No. 4 Portland State
3:00 p.m. – Loser Gm1 vs. Loser Gm2
5:30 p.m. – Winner Gm1 vs. Winner Gm2 (Champiopnship Game)