University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

FULLERTON, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i softball team's season came to a heartbreaking conclusion Friday as the Rainbow Wahine dropped both ends of their doubleheader to exit the Big West Championship on Day 3 at Anderson Family Field. First, the Rainbow Wahine lost on a walk-off, two-run home run by top-seeded Cal State Fullerton. Then, a seventh-inning Rainbow rally came up short as the team fell to UC Santa Barbara 8-6 in an elimination game to end the season.

No. 1 Cal State Fullerton 6, No. 2 Hawai'i 4
Despite an early power surge and a gritty performance from starting pitcher Hannah Pitts, the No. 2-seeded Rainbow Wahine fell to top-seeded Cal State Fullerton 6-4 on a two-run walk-off home run in a winner's bracket game. The Rainbow Wahine battled back from a two-run deficit to tie the score 2-2 in the second inning.

With runners at second and third, Rhea Furtado hit a grounder that resulted in a throwing error to first. Pinch-runner Larissa Goshi scored on the play, but Keely Kai was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the frame. Carys Murakami then drove in Furtado for the tying run with a clutch single up the middle.

The momentum stayed with Hawai'i in the third when Millie Fidge crushed a two-run home run to left field, scoring Jamie McGaughey to give UH a 4-2 lead. Cal State Fullerton's Colby McClinton proved to be the difference-maker, hitting a game-tying home run in the fifth and a walk-off two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. Pitts battled through a complete-game effort, keeping Hawai'i within striking distance until the final swing.

Pitts threw 102 pitches over 6 2/3 innings and struck out five. Titans starter Eva Hurtado threw the first two innings, allowing four runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout. Reliever Trisha McCleskey earned the win, shutting out UH in the final five innings while giving up just two hits.

No. 3 UC Santa Barbara 8, No. 2 Hawai'i 6
UC Santa Barbara (31-25) wasted little time jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

But in the second, UH junior catcher Keely Kai launched her first career home run, driving in Kayara Tuiloma and Maycen Gibbs to leapfrog the Gauchos for a 3-2 lead.

UCSB, however, rallied to take an 8-3 lead by the end of the fourth. The Gauchos' offensive effort was paced by catcher Delaina Ma'ae and Emily Carr, who each drove in two runs.

Hawai'i got one run back on a Jamie McGaughey sacrifice fly that scored Carys Murakami to cut the deficit to 8-4.

In the seventh, UH mounted a rally, loading the bases with two outs. Tuiloma then drilled an opposite-field single to drive in both Milan Ah Yat and pinch-runner Ellyanna Cinzori. UH then brought the winning run to the plate, but a groundout to second ended the game and the season for the Rainbow Wahine.

Hawai'i starting pitcher Taryn Irimata (13-9) took the loss, allowing six earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. Maryn MacNeil followed, allowing two runs on two hits. Hannah Pitts closed the game, tossing the final three innings and giving up one hit with three strikeouts.

Malaya Johnson earned the win in relief, allowing three runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. Starter Sophie Clark gave up three runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts in the first 2.0 innings.

Season Milestones