HONOLULU—The University of Hawai`i softball team (14-8) swept Troy tonight in a doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. It was a tale of two polar opposite games. The 'Bows won the first game 19-3 in five innings and captured the second game 2-1 in eight innings.
Sophomore pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts evened her record to 5-5 on the season, winning the first game for Hawai`i. She gave up three runs on five hits with three strike outs and a walk in five innings of work. It was her seventh complete game of the season.
UH freshman pitcher,
Kaia Parnaby (8-3) earned the complete game win in the second game, tossing a career high eight innings. She gave up one run on eight hits with nine strike outs for the 'Bows.
Hawai`i 19, Troy 3 (5 innings)
Box Score
The Trojans (14-8) jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Lead-off batter Kala Moore reached on a fielding error on the first baseman to begin the game. Moore stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.
The Rainbow Wahine responded resolutely by scoring 12 runs in the bottom of the frame—only two of which were earned runs. Hawai`i racked up six singles in the inning and were helped by two errors, two wild pitches, two illegal pitches, and two passed balls. At one point, the 'Bows scored 10 runs in a row.
The Trojans got one back in the top of the third on a home run by Courtney Cherry.
Hawai`i then erupted for five runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Kelly Majam led off with an opposite-field home run that just snuck over the 200' sign down the leftfield line.
Jessica Iwata followed with a double to the left-centerfield gap.
Melissa Gonzalez walked and after a groundout, and an error on the rightfielder put runners at second and third for pinch-hitter,
Rachel Paragas, who smacked a three-run home run to left in her first at-bat as a Rainbow Wahine to put UH up, 19-2.
Troy got one run back in the top of the fifth on RBI ground out to third by Cherry, who drove in Belinda White from third.
Three Rainbow Wahine got multiple hits from four hitters. Iwata went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored; Tauali`i was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with three runs scored; and Yoshikawa was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. For Majam, it was her team-leading seventh homer of the season and it was Paragas' first career hit and home run.
Hawai`i 2, Troy 1 (8 innings)
Box Score
The second game of the night was a polar opposite of the first game, with the 'Bows needing an extra frame to capture the win. Troy's pitcher, Ashlyn Williams, stymied much of the UH line-up for most of the game, throwing 7.2 innings in the loss. She gave up two runs on four hits with 12 strike outs.
Yoshikawa hit a solo home run in the second to give UH an early 1-0 lead.
Troy loaded the bases in the top of the fourth, but Parnaby got a fly to left to end the scoring threat.
But in the fifth, the Trojans capitalized on a throwing error early in the inning to knot the game at 1-1 with an RBI single to right by Nikki Hollett that scored Kaitlin Kenney from third.
In the first extra frame, Troy pinch runner Sally Ward entered the game at second base with the International Tie-Breaker rules in place. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt executed by Hayden Gann. But on the next play, Ward broke for home on a grounder to short. UH shortstop, Iwata, came up with the ball and fired home to an awaiting
Katie Grimes at the plate who made the tag.
The 'Bows, started the eighth with Iwata on second base. After a failed bunt attempt popped-out, Tauali'i struck out swinging, but on the pitch, the ball ricocheted off the catcher's mitt and went to the backstop, allowing Tauali'i to reach first safely and move Iwata to third. The Trojans then opted to intentionally walk
Jenna Rodriguez to load the bases. Yoshikawa then knocked in the winning run with a deep sacrifice fly to right allowing Iwata to score from third for the win.
Yoshikawa was the only 'Bow to get multiple hits off of Troy's ace, Williams. Yoshikawa went 2-for-3 in the game accounting for both runs scored in the RBI column.
The Rainbow Wahine will host the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament this weekend, starting on Friday, Mar. 12 through Mar. 14. Hawai`i will take on Loyola Marymount, DePaul, and Troy in the tourney.
