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HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (3-2) hit four home runs to stun No. 10 Stanford, 11-5, and capture the 2010 Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic Championship. UH pitcher Stephanie Ricketts (1-2) earned the win with a complete game effort  tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

 

Ricketts bounced back after dropping her first two decisions, with a gritty performance to earn the win. She gave up five runs—three earned—on eight hits with four walks and two strike outs.

 

The 'Bows jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Freshman lead-off hitter, Kelly Majam, started the game with a come-backer to the pitcher that ricocheted off her glove for a single. Majam moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored on a single and an error off of a single to left by sophomore leftfielder Alexandra Aguirre. Stanford's Ashley Chinn then settled down to retire the next three batters in a row.

 

Stanford answered right back, posting a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Maya Burns to the left-centerfield gap that scored both Ashley Hansen and Shannon Koplitz.

 

The Cardinal added another run in the second. Melissa Koutz got hit by a pitch to start the inning. She moved to second on a wild pitch and two outs later moved to third on a single by Alissa Haber. Koutz crossed the plate on an RBI single by Ashley Hansen.

 

Hawaii leap-frogged the Cardinal in the fourth and never trailed again. Sophomore designated player, Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu led the inning off with a home run to left-centerfield. Senior first baseman Amanda Tauali'i followed with a single to right and then senior shortstop Traci Yoshikawa drove Tauali'i in with a mammoth home run over the leftfield netting to put UH up 4-3.

 

Aguirre added to the lead with her first career home run, a solo shot to left in the fifth to increase UH's lead to 5-3.

 

Tauali'i led the sixth inning off with a hard-hit double down the rightfield line. Two outs later, senior catcher Katie Grimes came through with a clutch single to right-centerfield to give UH a three run cushion.

 

But the Cardinal fought back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the lead to one. Jen Becerra got things started with a one-out double down the third baseline. Later with two outs, Haber battled to draw a walk to continue the rally for Hansen who hit a ground ball up the middle. On the play, the shortstop didn't field the ball cleanly and dropped the ball while trying to step on second for the third out, allowing Becerra to score from third. Then, Jenna rich hit a single to short, but on the play, the UH first baseman tried to get the runner at third, but the ball sailed to the fence allowing Haber to scamper home. UH clung to a 6-5 with an inning to play.

 

Hawai'i then launched an offensive onslaught that tallied five runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away. Majam started the rally by drilling a triple to down the first baseline into the rightfield corner. After one more pitch, Stanford ace Ashley Chinn was relieved by freshman Teagan Gerhart. Aguirre promptly got a single to the left-centerfield gap to score Majam easily from third. Gerhart settled down to get two groundouts that left Aguirre at third, and Taualii kept things rolling with a line-drive double that caromed off the centerfield fence to score Aguirre. Yoshikawa followed with a slow grounder back to the pitcher, but she couldn't come up with the ball, leaving runners at the corners. Senior rightfielder, Kanani Pu'u-Warren, then put the game away with a three-run bomb over the leftfield fence to put UH up, 11-5.

 

Stanford's Chinn was roughed up by the 'Bows after being dominant through her first three appearances in which she was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA with a save. Chinn gave up seven runs on 10 hits—seven of which were of the extra-base variety. She did not walk a batter and struck out seven in six-plus innings of work. Reliever Gerhart threw one inning and gave up four runs on three hits with one strike out.

 

Hawai'i will now hit the road for two tough tournaments with a single game against Loyola Marymount in between. First, the 'Bows travel to Las Vegas, Nev. where they will play five games (Utah, UNLV, No. 13 Georgia Tech, San Diego and CS Fullerton) in the Louisville-Slugger Desert Classic, Feb. 19-21. UH will end their trip at the Cathedral City Classic outside of Palm Spring, Calif. The 'Bows will play five games there as well, including Oklahoma State, UC Davis, Oregon, No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 6 Arizona.

 

Pitcher: Ashley Chinn, Stanford

Infielder: Megan McKinney, TAMUCC

Infielder: Rosey Neil, Stanford

Infielder: Jenna Rich, Stanford

Infielder: Shannon Koplitz, Stanford

Outfielder: Claire Terracina, McNeese State

Outfielder: Alissa Haber, Stanford

Outfielder: Lauren Sanders, TAMUCC

At-Large: Maya Burns, Stanford