FULLERTON, Calif.—The fifth-seeded University of Hawai'i softball team (33-18) rallied to score nine runs in the top of the seventh to upset the top-seeded Cal State Fullerton, 11-5. The quarterfinals win was highlighted by a two-run single by Milan Ah Yat and a three-run home run by Jamie McGaughey that started the seventh inning rally to start the second day of the 2025 Big West Championship  at the Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif.. With the win, the Rainbow Wahine advance to the semifinals to face the #2 seed CSUN who defeated. #6 seed UC San Diego, 4-2 on Thursday.
 
It marked UH's 18th come-from-behind win this season. In the seventh, 12-straight Rainbow Wahine reached base safely en route to the comeback win.
 
Hawai'i reliever Millie Fidge earned the win, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts in 4-2/3 innings pitched. She retired the last six-straight batters to end the game and improve to 2-1 on the season.
 
Hawai'I's Izabella Martinez led off the game with a walk and Carys Murakami was plunked to put runners at first and second with no outs. After a strikeout, Jamie McGaughey looped a single to shallow center to load the bases. Liliana Thomas then hit a ground ball to third. On the play the third baseman threw home to get Martinez on the force out, but upon further review, head coach Bob Coolen challenged the play arguing the third baseman stepped on third base before throwing home which would make it a tag play at the plate. After the umpires reviewed the play, the call was overturned and the runner at third was out with Martinez safely scoring UH's first run.
 
The Titans quickly knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first. CSF's leadoff hitter Colby McClinton was hit by pitch and Sarah Perez reached on a bunt single. Nataly Lozano then drove a single to left to score McClinton. UH was then able to get flyouts to left and center and a groundout to third to escape further damage.
 
In the third, the Titans got back-to-back singles to start the frame. Ava Arce then drove in Perez from third on an RBI-single to right-centerfield. She advanced to second on the throw. Sarah Coccillos followed with a two-RBI single to give CSF a 4-1 lead to end UH starter Addison Kostrencich's outing. Millie Fidge then came in relief.
 
The Titans' McClinton hit a solo home run in the fourth to give CSF a 5-1 lead.
 
Hawai'i scored one run in the sixth to trim their deficit to three runs on an RBI double to the right-center gap by pinch-hitter Alyssa Nakagawa. The double drove in Liliana Thomas all the way from first to trail CSF, 5-2.
 
In the seventh, the Rainbow Wahine batted around the order bring 14 batters to the plate as the 'Bows kept passing the bat along the line. After a strikeout to start the inning, Larissa Goshi hit a single back to the pitcher to start the epic rally. Martinez then laced an opposite-field double down the leftfield line to put both runners in scoring position. Carys Murakami then drew a walk to load the bases. Ah Yat followed with a clutch, opposite-field single down the rightfield line to drive in both Goshi and Martinez to trail by just one run.
The Titans then lifted starter Trisha McKleskey for Eva Hurtado, but that did not curb the 'Bows efforts as Jamie McGaughey followed with a three-run bomb over the right-centefield fence that drove in Murakami and pinch-runner Maycen Gibbs. It marked McGaughey's team-leading 12th homer of the season and career and the home run propelled UH past the Titans for a 7-5 lead. But UH was not done yet. Thomas kept things going with a single up the middle and Nakagawa reached on a fielding error on the shortstop that left runners on first and second. Leftfielder Kennedy Thompson was then plunked to load the bases again for the 'Bows. Chloe Borged who worked her way on with a walk to drive Thomas across the plate.
 
Cal State Fullerton then re-entered their starting pitcher McKleskey back in the circle. She was able to get Goshi to ground into a fielder's choice from short to catcher to erase the lead runner at the plate. But then Martinez hit a grounder to second, but on the play the ball bounced past the first baseman and collided with Martinez who fell awkwardly to the ground allowing all three runs to score and clear the bases as UH ended the frame with an 11-5 lead. Although at first Martinez was being halped off the field,but then she chose to stay in the game and catch the final half of the inning.
 
UH starter Addison Kostrencich threw the first 2.1 innings. She allowed four runs on seven hits.
 
Titans' stater McClesky threw a total of seven innings, allowing six runs on nine hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. At one point, she retired 12-straight Rainbow Wahine between the first and fifth innings. Hurtado entered the game in the seventh, but was unable to record an out. She allowed five runs on two hits with a walk.

Earlier this season, on March 29th, the Rainbow Wahine also rallied in the top of the seventh to defeat the Titans in Fullerton. On that day, the 'Bows scored five runs in the seventh to defeat the Titans, 6-2 to win the series on the road for just the third time in history. And the last time UH scored 11 runs this season was in the first game at Cal State Fullerton on March 28th.

The most runs Hawai'i has ever scored in an inning over the last 20 years was 14 at Fresno State in the third inning in a 16-1 win on May 14, 2010. The Rainbow Wahine scored nine runs in the last inning of a 11-3 win on April 27, 2012 in the fifth inning of the mercy-rule win.
 
With the win, Hawai'i advances to the semifinal round where they will take on the No. 2 CSUN in the semifinal round on Friday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m. HT at the Anderson Family Field.