Box Score

HONOLULU—The University of Hawai`i softball team (21-10) held off No. 13/12 California, 3-0 tonight at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Freshman pitcher Kaia Parnaby struck out a career-high 12 batters and tossed a two-hitter while fellow freshman Kelly Majam led the game off with her 13th home run of the season. The 2010 Chevron Spring Fling Tournament concludes tomorrow.

 

The win over Cal is the second win over a ranked opponent for the 'Bows this season. Hawai`i defeated then No. 10 Stanford, 11-5, on Feb. 13 in the first tournament of the year.

 

Parnaby faced 28 batters in seven innings for her sixth shut-out and 12th complete game of the season.

 

Majam led the home-half of the first inning off with a drive that sailed over the centerfield fence. It was her second lead-off home run in as many games (she launched one last night in UH's game against Lipscomb). But later in the inning, Cal's ace pitcher, Valerie Arioto, settled down to retire the next 10 batters in a row.

 

But Alex Aguirre broke the streak leading off the fifth inning off with a walk. Traci Yoshikawa then executed a sacrifice bunt to third that allowed Aguirre to move to second. A ground-out to the right-side of the infield by Kanani Pu'u-Warren pushed Aguirre to third and a bloop single to shallow center by Katie Grimes scored Aguirre from third to give UH a 2-0 lead.

 

Hawai`i added another run in the sixth for some breathing room. Melissa Gonzalez drove a hard shot to the right-center gap. The speedy Cal outfielders got to it quickly and Gonzalez stopped briefly between first and second before taking off after the rightfielder dropped the ball after picking it up by the fence. Gonzalez then moved to third on a grounder to the rightside of the infield. Then, Jenna Rodriguez struck out swinging with what should've been the third out, but the ball bounced past the catcher to the backstop allowing Gonzalez to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.

But the Golden Bears wouldn't go down without a fight. Parnaby got the first two batters in the top of the seventh out on a fly to center and a swinging strike out. But she faltered a little as she walked and then beaned the eighth and ninth batter in the Cal line-up to put runners at first and second. But Parnaby then ended the game with a strike out.

 

Arioto (11-4), threw a complete game in the loss. She gave up three runs on four hits with a walk and eight strike outs.

 

UH concludes the Spring Fling tomorrow with a doubleheader against Lipscomb and California starting at 12:00 p.m.