FULLERTON, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (19-12, 5-4 Big West) racked up 10 hits—five for extra bases—as they opened their series at Cal State Fullerton (19-13, 6-4 Big West) with an 11-6 win on Friday night at the Anderson Family Field. UH pitcher
Addison Kostrencich earned the win to improve to 10-7.
UH's win snapped a 12-road game losing streak at Cal State Fullerton's Anderson Family Field. UH last won there 10 years ago on April 14, 2015 with an 8-6 win.
The Titans' Alexia Lopez led off the second inning with a double to the right-centerfield gap. She moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Colby McClinton for a quick 1-0 lead.
UH's
Cierra Yamamoto led off the third inning, turning on a first pitch to launch her first career home run to knot the score at 1-1.
In the fourth,
Ellyanna Cinzori came through with a clutch, two-out double over the leftfielder to drive home both
Jamie McGaughey and
Milan Ah Yat to give UH a 3-1 lead.
The Titans got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Lopez got plunked and the following batter McClinton lifted a ball to rightfield that went in and out of the glove of
Maycen Gibbs. The error allowed Lopez to hustle around the bases to score and cut their deficit to one run, 3-2.
The Rainbow Wahine erupted for four runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 7-2.
Chloe Borges led off the frame with a double hit to the leftfield corner. After a groundout to first,
Izabella Martinez battled CSF starter Trisha McCleskey with a 10-pitch at bat that ended with her lacing a single through the infield to drive in Borges from third.
Carys Murakami kept things going with a single to right. Later with two outs, McGaughey hit a fly ball that sailed over the centerfield fence for a three-run home run, scoring both pinch-runner
Maya Ichimura and Murakami. It marked McGaughey's team-leading eighth home run of the season.
Hawai'i tacked on four more runs in the sixth to go up 11-2. The 'Bows loaded the bases with two outs and Murakami drove a two-RBI single past a diving shortstop to score both Yamamoto and Borges. UH then rallied to load the bases again and McGaughey drove a double to centerfield to score Martinez and Murakami for the nine run lead.
In the bottom of the frame, the Titans would not go down without a fight, rallying for three runs in the sixth inning and another run in the seventh to push the final score to 11-6.
Kostrencich allowed five runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in five-plus innings of work.
Macy Brandl entered the game after CSF hit a two-run homer and a single in the fifth. Brandl allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts in the final two innings.
For McGaughey, she went 2-for-4 and tied her career-high with two runs scored and tallied a career-high five RBI,.
Cal State Fullerton's McCleskey threw the first 4-2/3 innings. She allowed seven runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Reliever Eva Hurtado tossed the final 2-1/3 innings, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Hawai'i and Cal State Fullerton will conclude the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29. First pitch is slated for 10:00 a.m. HT at the Anderson Family Field.
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