BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (25-14, 11-6 Big West) swept Saturday's doubleheader and the series at Cal State Bakersfield. Hawai'i rallied from four runs down to defeat the Roadrunners 8-5 to start the day, then held off CSUB, 8-6 to seal the sweep at the Roadrunner Softball Complex.
For the series, senior centerfielder
Chloe Borges led UH on offense hitting .800 (4-for-5) with four runs scored, a double, two home runs and three RBI. She had a 2.200 slugging percentage and a .909 on-base percentage with five walks and was hit by pitch once. Borges reached base safely in 10 of 11 plate appearances against the Roadrunners.
In the circle, sophomore pitcher
Macy Brandl earned two wins and a save as she improved to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in conference. She threw 14.0 total innings over the weekend—including holding CSUB scoreless through her first 10 innings.
Hawai'i has now won four-straight Big West series. With the sweep, UH has won five-straight games—its longest win streak of the season.
GAME 1: Hawai'i 8, Cal State Bakersfield 5
The Roadrunners rallied to score three runs in the third on an RBI-triple by Kaia Johnson followed by an RBI single by Marianna Narvais. A bases loaded walk issued to Karissa Munsey drove in a third run for the 'Runners. UH then lifted starter
Addison Kostrencich for reliever Millie Fidge. Fidge got a popout to short and a flyout to left to stem the rally with UH trailing 3-0.
CSUB tacked on another run in the fourth off an RBI-single by Kaia Johnson that scored Alexia Castro for the 4-0 lead.
Hawai'i, however, rallied to score four runs in the fifth.
Chloe Borges drew a lead-off walk and
Larissa Goshi followed with a single to left to break up Bailee Bustos' no-hitter bid.
Izabella Martinez followed with a single but on the play, a throwing error allowed Borges to score.
Carys Murakami drilled a single to left to score Goshi easily. Later,
Liliana Thomas lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score pinch-runner
Keely Kai. The 'Bows then knotted the score at 4-4 as
Ellyanna Cinzori reached on an error that allowed pinch-runner
Nevaeh Telles to score.
The Roadrunners scored on a wild pitch to re-take the lead at 5-4.
In the sixth, UH loaded the bases and Murakami drew a four-pitch walk to score Borges. Later with one out,
Jamie McGaughey smashed a double to the left-center fence to drive in Martinez and Murakami to give the 'Bows their first lead of the day at 7-5.
Borges then blasted her second home run of the series with a solo shot over the left-center fence. It marked Borges' fifth homer of the season and 16
th of the senior's career.
UH starter Kostrencich threw the first two-and-a-third innings. She allowed three runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. Fidge earned the win to even her record to 1-1. She allowed two runs on three hits with a strikeout in 2.2 innings pitched. Brandl earned her second save of the season, coming in with the 'Bows leading by two runs in the sixth. She got the final three outs of the game giving up a hit with a pair of strikeouts.
The Roadrunners' Bustos took the loss dropping her record to 11-11. She allowed seven runs on six hits with five walks and a strikeout. Shaylene Fuimaono gave up one hit in an inning of work. Maya Ramirez tossed the final frame, allowing one run on one hit.
Hawai'i 8, Cal State Bakersfield 6
The Rainbow Wahine broke out of the gates red-hot, scoring five runs—all on two outs in the first inning. UH loaded the bases with one out. Murakami started things with a single up the middle. Ah Yat followed with a double to the left-center gap to put both runners into scoring position. McGaughey was then plunked to load the bases. In infield fly was caught for the second out. Cinzori then hit a grounder to short that was misplayed for an error that allowed both Murakami and Ah Yat to cross the plate.
Cierra Yamamoto then pulled a triple down the first base line to drive in both McGaugey and Cinzori. Later with runners at the corners, Goshi slapped a single throught the leftside of the infield to drive in Yamamoto to give UH a 5-0 lead.
Hawai'i added a run in the second on a Thomas' RBI single that scored Ah Yat to give UH a 6-0 lead.
Murakami led off the fourth with a double down the leftfield line. She later scored on a McGaughey single that extended UH's lead to 7-0.
But the Roadrunners would keep on fighting. CSUB got three runs back in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth on a three-run homer by Kaia Johnson to trail by just one run at 7-6.
Hawai'i posted an insurance run in the sixth as McGaughey launched her 10
th homer of the season and her career over the left-centerfield fence, extending UH's lead to 8-6.
The Roadrunners threatened to score in the seventh. Maya Molina-Villareal hit a one-out triple and a walk issued to Johnson put runners at the corners with one out. Then CSUB's No. 3 hitter, Marianna Narvaiz hit a line drive to short which Ah Yat caught then doubled up Johnson at first to end the game and preserve the win.
UH's Brandl earned the complete game win to improve to 12-5 overall. She allowed six runs on nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Cal State Bakersfield's Christal Lopez fell to 2-9 overall in the complete game loss. She allowed eight runs on 13 hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Hawai'i returns home this week for a battle against first place UC Santa Barbara (). The two teams will square off in a single game on Friday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. HT followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 19, 20925 beginning at 2:00 p.m. HT. All games will be played at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
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