HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (4-11) split their Sunday doubleheader fo finish third in the Spring Fling Tournament. Hawai'i fell in extra innings to Tennessee State, 3-1 in the morning, but regrouped to pull away from Portland State, 8-2 to finish 3-2 in the tourney on Saturday afternoon at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 
 
Tennessee State 3, Hawai'i 2 (8 innings)
After retiring the first nine-straight batters to start the game, UH starter Key-Annah Campbell-Pua gave up a walk to start the fourth to Laila  Armstrong who later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Anaya Baker-Rowell for the early 1-0 lead.
 
UH's Chloe Borges quickly tied the score 1-1 with her team-leading fourth homer of the season. The solo shot sailed over the leftfield fence
 
In the seventh, Tennessee State broke the tie as Nahtali Simpson's infield single allowed Anaya Baker-Rowell to overtake UH, 2-1.
 
But in the bottom of the seventh, Maya Nakamura staved off the defeat by launching her first home run of the season to tie the game at 2-2 and force extra innings. 
 
With the international tie-breaking rules in place, Onnika Spencer started as the runner on second base. She moved to third on a sac bunt and then scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Rylie Giddens for what proved to be the winning run.
 
Both UH pitchers fired four innings apiece Starter Campbell-Pua allowed one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Reliever Millie Fidge suffered the loss, dropping her recorded to 1-2. She allowed two runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
Reina Castillo threw the first seven innings but did not enter in the decision. She allowed two runs and scattered five hits with two strikeouts. Holly Ayala tossed the final frame to earn the victory to improve to 2-2.
 
Hawai'i 8, Portland State 2
UH starting pitcher Addison Kostrencich earned her second complete game win to improve to 2-4 this season. She allowed two runs while spacing eight hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
 
After the Vikings posted a pair of runs in the second, Hawai'i reeled off eight unanswered runs to finish third in the Spring Fling Tournament.
 
The Vikings rallied on two outs in the second inning to score a pair of runs. One came off a single up the middle that allowed Lorraine Alo to score. Later, Alapese Matautia smacked an RBI double to drive in Grace Johnson.
 
But from the bottom of the second on, it was all UH. The 'Bows loaded the bases with one out, Dallas Millwood drilled a two-RBI, opposite-field single to left to drive in Maya Nakamura and Haley Johnson. Ka'ena Keliinoi later came up with two outs  and the bases juiced again. She ripped a two-RBI single to left to score pinch runner Kayla Tierney and leftfielder Mya'Liah Bethea to leapfrog over the Vikings with a 4-2 lead.
 
Johnson led off the fourth by launching her first home run of the season. The opposite-field bomb sailed over the leftfield fence. Later in the inning, Millwood lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Nakamura which extended UH's lead to 6-2.
 
In the sixth, Hawai'I lengthened its lead to 8-6 after Keliinoi's RBI-double laced down the leftfield line drove in Maycen Gibbs and Izabella Martinez followed by pulled an RBI single to right to plate Xiao Gin.
 
Portland State starter Grace Kimball suffered the loss to drop her record to 1-6. In two innings, she allowed six runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Annie Lemos gave up two runs on six hits with a strike out in the following 3-2/3 innings. Sherreigh Nakoa-Chu got the final out in the sixth.
 
Hawai'i will conclude their non-conference schedule with the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Wahine Classic this coming week from Wednesday, March 6-10. Cleveland State, UConn and New Mexico will compete in the five-day tourney.