HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (31-18, 17-10 Big West) swept Saturday's doubleheader on Senior Day at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. UH won the first game, 7-4 then edged out the Tritons in the series finale, 4-3. With today's doubleheader sweep, Hawai'i will be the fifth seed in next week's inaugural Big West Championship in Fullerton, Calif.
Saturday marked the final home games for five Rainbow Wahine seniors —
Chloe Borges,
Addison Kostrencich,
Izabella Martinez,
Alyssa Nakagawa, and
Liliana Thomas as well as head coach
Bob Coolen who will be retiring after the conclusion of this season.
DH Game 1: Hawai'i 7, UC San Diego 4
Senior
Addison Kostrencich earned the complete game win to improve to 13-10 overall. She allowed four runs on eight hits with a walk. It marked Kostrencich's 12th complete game of the season.
In the top of the second, UCSD's Alexis Jimenez hit a homer to left to give the Tritons an early 1-0 lead.
Hawai'i responded in the bottom of the second, tying the game at 1-1 off an RBI-single by
Ellyanna Cinzori that scored
Jamie McGaughey from second.
The Tritons Lily Hermosillo hit an RBI-double off the leftfield wall to drive in Jimenez to take a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, after a groundout to first, UH's 7, 8, and 9 batters (
Cierra Yamamoto,
Chloe Borges,
Larissa Goshi) all singled to load the bases for Izabella Matinez who drew a walk to score Yamamoto, tying the game at 2-2.
Carys Murakami followed with a grounder to short. On the play the UCSD shortstop's throw home sailed wide to the backstop allowing both Borges and Goshi to cross the plate to take a 4-2 lead.
In the fifth, Martinez drove a single to left that drive in both Yamamoto and Borges who slid in just ahead of the tag at the plate for a 6-2 lead.
UH extended its lead to 7-2 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to left by Cinzori to score Ah Yat.
The Tritons kept fighting, scoring two runs on an Emma Umemura home run as UH would hold on to defeat UCSD, 7-4.
UC San Diego 's starter Claire Adams took the loss, falling to 3-4 overall. She allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Reliever Callie Christian threw the final two innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks.
DH Game 2: Hawai'i 4, UC San Diego 3
Hawai'i starter
Macy Brandl earned the complete game win, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk. She improved to 16-7 overall. Brandl settled down and did not allow a hit in the final four innings.
Hawai'i's
Liliana Thomas hit an RBI-single to left in the first to drive in Murakami from second to give the 'Bows an early 1-0 lead.
The Tritons leapfrogged over UH in the third, scoring three runs on an RBI double by Jimenez and a two-RBI single by Jade Hill.
The Rainbow Wahine loaded the base with one out to start the third. Thomas whacked a single to left to drive in Murakami and Cinzori followed with a ground out to second that scored pinch-runner
Kennedy Thompson from third as UH knotted the score at 3-3.
In the fifth, with two outs,
Jamie McGaughey launched her 11
th home run of the season over the leftfield fence to give UH a 4-3 lead.
UH's McGaughey blasted her 11
th home run of the year to give UH a 4-3 lead in the fifth.
Hawai'i's defense and Brandle retired 13 of the last 14 straight Tritons in a row with one walk in the sixth as the only blemish down the stretch.
UCSD's India Caldwell suffered the complete game loss, dropping her record to 10-14 overall. She allowed four runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
With Saturday's two wins, Hawai'i enters the inaugural Big West Championship as the No. 5 seed. UH will play the #4 seed Long Beach State on Wednesday, May 7 at 1:00 p.m. HT at the Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif..
*Note: On Saturday, replay was used for the first time ever at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
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