HONOLULU—The 20/23rd ranked University of Hawai`i softball team (41-12, 19-1 WAC) won the series, 2-1 over Fresno State on Jessica Iwata's walk-off home run in the series finale. The Bulldogs took the first game 9-7, but the 'Bows bounced back to win the Senior Night game, 5-4 in front of a capacity crowd of 1,200 at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

 

 

The 'Bows took an early 6-0 lead, but Bulldogs battled back to overtake UH and win by hitting four home runs, including two by Caitlin Stiglich—a grand slam and the game-winning three run homer in the top of the seventh.

 

Kaia Parnaby (18-6, 6-1 WAC) took the loss for the 'Bows, throwing a complete game. She gave up nine runs on eight hits with three walks and 10 strike outs.

 

Fresno State's Morgan Melloh (15-8, 6-0) earned the win going the distance, giving up seven runs on 13 hits with two walks and eight strike outs.

 

The Rainbow Wahine posted five runs to start the game. Kelly Majam led the game off hustling out an infield single to third. After a fly out to right, Melissa Gonzalez hit her 20th home run of the season, driving in Majam. Jenna Rodriguez reached on a fielding error on the shortstop and Alex Aguirre followed with a single to short to put runners at first and second for Kanani Pu'u-Warren who drilled a double to the right-centerfield gap, scoring Rodriguez from second. Amanda Tauali'i then hit a single up the middle that scored both Aguirre and Pu`u-Warren to go up 5-0.

 

In the second, the 'Bows added another run on a two-out rally. Gonzalez started things off with a single to leftfield. Rodriguez followed with a hit to right, but on the play, the rightfielder went down with an injury, allowing the ball to roll past her giving Gonzalez the opportunity to score all the way from first and giving Rodriguez a triple.

 

The Bulldogs got two runs in the top of the third on back-to-back home runs by Andrea Ortega and Michelle Moses, to cut UH's lead to 6-2.

 

Fresno State then tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the fifth on a grand slam to left hit by Caitlin Stiglich that drove in Brooke Phipps, Haley Gilleland, and Michelle Moses.

 

The 'Bows went ahead, 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth. Gonzalez hit a pop fly to right, but miscommunication allowed the ball to fall in for a double and Rodriguez drew a walk to put runners at first and second. After a pop-up to the second baseman, Pu`u-Warren came through with a single to right to drive in pinch runner, Tasha Pagdilao from second.

 

But in the top of the seventh, Fresno State came back to take the game. After giving up a lead-off walk, Ortega hit a line drive to center. UH's centerfielder, Majam, made a shoestring catch and threw a one-hop shot to first baseman Tauali`i at first to double up the runner. But then the Bulldogs got back-to-back singles by Moses and Courtney Moore, which brought up Stiglich again, who, with a 2-2 count, slammed a three-run home run to centerfield to give FSU a 9-7 win.

 

 

 

The Rainbow Wahine (41-12, 19-1 WAC) bounced back in the series finale to win the series two games to one. It is the third time in four years that the 'Bows have won the series against Fresno State. In 2007, UH won 2-of-3 games in Honolulu and last season, the 'Bows won 2-of-3 in Fresno—including a 16 inning marathon, 7-4 win.

Hawai`i's Stephanie Ricketts earned her 22nd win of the year (22-6, 13-0 WAC) with her 24th complete game of the season. She gave up four runs on six hits with a walk and four strike outs. Ricketts matches her win total from last season when she went 22-11 overall.

Fresno State countered with starter, Mackenzie Oakes, who lasted 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits with a walk and two strike outs. Melloh (15-9, 6-1 WAC) suffered her first loss of the WAC season, giving up the one home run in 1.2 innings of work.
 

The 'Bows posted a single run in the bottom of the second. Aguirre reached on a fielding error on the shortstop and moved to second on a passed ball. She then scored on another fielding error on the shortstop to go up, 1-0.

 

UH got another run in the third on an RBI ground out to first by Rodriguez that drove in Majam, who had reached earlier on a single to left to give UH a 2-0 lead.

 

The Bulldogs tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Ortega started the rally with a double to the right-centerfield gap and then came home on a single to center by Moses. FSU then proceeded to load the bases on another single by Moore and then a walk to Stiglich. Nicole Angene then hit a comebacker to the Ricketts on the mound who threw home for the second out of the inning. But Diane Runge then came through with a seeing eye single through the right-side of the infield to score Moore from third.

 

Hawai`i got the two runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Traci Yoshikawa led the inning off with a single to center and moved to second on wild pitch and then scored on a double off the top of the leftfield fence by Majam. After a ground out to short and a strike out, Rodriguez drove in Majam with a single to right. UH finished the fifth inning with a 4-2 lead.

 

Fresno State got a run back in the top of the sixth when Moses scored on a wild pitch and then the Bulldogs tied the game, 4-4, in the top of the seventh on Brooke Phipps solo home run.

 

But Hawai`i came back in the bottom of the seventh to win the game on a one out, solo, walk-off home run by Jessica Iwata. It was her 16th home run of the season.

 

The game was followed by Senior Night festivities that honored the five Rainbow Wahine seniors, Katie Grimes, Tasha Pagdilao, Kanani Pu`u-Warren, Amanda Tauali`i, and Traci Yoshikawa.

The 'Bows now have a week off before they start the WAC Championship tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. May 12-15. The 'Bows will be the number one seed.