HHONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team powered past Cleveland State, 13-0 in five innings on Day 3 of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Wahine Classic. UH's offensive power surge was fueled by three home runs—all in the fourth inning—by Maya Nakamura, Chloe Borges and Mya'Liah Bethea while UH starter Addison Kostrencich fired her second complete-game shutout of the season on Saturday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 
Kostrencich improved to 4-5 overall. She shut down the Viking offense, spacing four hits with one strikeout in five innings of work.
 
The game was scoreless until the third, when UH put up six runs on the board. Haley Johnson came to the plate with two runners on. Her single up the middle drove in Ka'ena Keliinoi. Nakamura followed with a single to right to score Martinez and move pinch-runner Larissa Goshi to third. Dallas Millwood then hit a grounder to short for an unsuccessful fielder's choice which scored Goshi. Then, with two outs and two runners on, Bethea laid down a sacrifice bunt. The catcher fielded it but had caught Nakamura straying down the third base line. She started a rundown that ended with a throw bouncing off Nakamura's helmet and down the leftield foul territory which allowed Nakamura, pinch runner Cherish Hose and Bethea all to race around the bases to score on the base clearing throwing error that extended UH's lead to 6-0.
 
In the fourth, UH racked up an RBI-single and three home runs to add seven more runs to push their lead to 13-0. Johnson started the rally with an RBI single to left that drove in Keliinoi. Nakamura followed by launching her third, three-run home run of the tournament to left-centerfield to score pinch-runner Piper Neri and Johnson. It was Nakamura's fourth homer of the season. After a single by Millwood, Chloe Borges and Bethea blasted back-to-back home runs to give the Rainbow Wahine a 13-0 lead. Both Borges and Bethea along with CSUN's Shaylan Whatman, lead the Big West with five home runs this season.
 
Cleveland State's Torrie Jenkins (0-3) took the loss, giving up nine runs on nine hits with a walk in three-and-a third innings of work. Reliever Dakota Staffan entered in the fourth inning but was not able to record an out. She allowed three runs on three hits. Jenna Watts got the final two outs in the fourth, but allowed a run on three hits.
 
For the Rainbow Wahine, it was their first mercy-rule win of the season. The 13 runs is the highest run output since UH defeated Cal State Bakersfield 14-6 last season in a non-conference game at the UNLV Desert Classic in 2023.

Hawai'i will wrap up the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Wahine Classic on Sunday at 2:30 against Cleveland State at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.