HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (11-16, 4-2 Big West) swept Saturday's doubleheader over CSUN on Saturday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The Rainbow Wahine held off the Matadors 5-4 in the first game and 4-1 in the series finale to record their first Big West series sweep since winning three against Cal State Fullerton in 2022.
Hawai'i 5, CSUN 4
Hawai'i starter Key-Annah Campbell-Pua improved to 3-5 overall and 2-0 in the Big West. But although she threw seven innings, Millie Fidge came into the game as a reliever in the sixth inning. She faced three batters but was unable to record an out. Campbell-Pua allowed three runs with three walks and a pair of strikeouts in seven innings. Fidge allowed a run on two hits with a walk.
Nakamura led off the fourth inning with a solo shot over the leftfield fence. Two batters later,
Chloe Borges blasted a solo homer to center. Leftfielder
Mya'Liah Bethea and pinch-hitter
Jamie McGaughey got on-base with singles to put runners at first and second.
Ka'ena Keliinoi then cranked a three-run bomb to left to drive in both Bethea and Gibbs (who re-entered for McGaughey) for a 5-0 lead.
In the sixth, the Matadors loaded the bases on an error and two walks. A third-straight walk by relief pitcher Millie Fidge to Carys Murakami pushed Raegan Jackson across the plate. Back-to-back RBI singles drove in three more CSUN runs to cut their deficit to 5-4. Campbell-Pua then re-entered the game at pitcher. Martinez gunned out a Matador runner trying to steal third for the second out and got out of the inning with a pop out to short.
CSUN got a single to start the seventh, but the 'Bows retired the next three ending with a swinging strikeout for the win.
Hawai'i 4, CSUN 1
UH starter
Addison Kostrencich got the start in the series finale. She earned the win to improve to 6-5 overall allowing just one run won three hits with two walks in four-plus innings of work. Reliever
Chloe Borges, who started the game in centerfield, earned her first save of the season after shutting down the Matador offense for the final three innings. She spaced two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. On offense, Borges went 2-for-2 with three RBI—two coming off a homer.
In the second inning, Borges looped a single to right field to drive in Johnson from second to give UH an early 1-0 lead.
In the fourth,
Maycen Gibbs battled at the plate with runners at first and second and one out. Gibbs came through driving a single through the right-side of the infield to score Nakamura from second to take a 2-0 lead.
CSUN's Makenzie San Pedro hit a home run to left to lead off the fifth to cut their deficit in half, 2-1. The Matadors went on to load the bases with two outs, but relief pitcher Borges got a check-swing strikeout to end the rally.
Millwood led the sixth off with a double to the left-centerfield gap and Borges followed with a two-run home run to centerfield that extended UH's lead to 4-1.
The Matadors put two runners on base in the top of the seventh and brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but a ground out to second and a strikeout snuffed out the rally and sealed the sweep for Hawai'i.
Isabella Alonso took the loss, throwing the first four innings. She allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Alexia Ramirez finished the final two innings, allowing two runs on four hits with a strikeout.
For the series, Borges led the 'Bows hitting .625 with a team-high five hits and six RBI. Dhe scored three runs and hit two home runs for a 1.375 slugging percentage.
Haley Johnson,
Izabella Martinez, and
Maya Nakamura all hit an even .500 at the plate helping the team to average .645 for the series.
The Rainbow Wahine will travel to take on UC San Diego on the road next week with a single game on Friday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m. HT followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30 beginning at 10:00 a.m. HT.
Prior to Saturday's doubleheader the UH softball program honored longtime assistant coach John Nakamura who passed away recently. Members of his family joined the teams on the field along with several UH softball alumnae for a moment of silence and a ceremonial first pitch by Coach Naks' daughter.
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