Box Score

STANFORD, Calif.—The No. 19/23 University of Hawai`i (45-13, 19-1 WAC) defeated UC Davis (26-28), 10-2 in five innings to open the NCAA Regionals. The 'Bows scored five runs in the fifth to end the game by the mercy-rule. Stephanie Ricketts earned the win for UH with a complete game effort at Stanford's Smith Family Stadium.

 

Ricketts (25-7) fired five innings, giving up two runs on five hits with four walks and two strike outs.

 

For the Aggies, starting pitcher Alex Holmes took the loss, throwing two innings. She gave up five runs on six hits with a walk and two strike outs. Reliever, Dana Waldusky, threw the final two-and-two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on three hits with five walks and three strike outs.

 

The 'Bows got on the board first, posting three runs in the first inning. Kelly Majam led the inning off with a sharp single to centerfield. Jessica Iwata followed with a ground ball to short, but a fielding error allowed both runners to be safe. Melissa Gonzalez then hit an infield single to short to load the bases. Jenna Rodriguez drove UH's first run of the game in with a ground out to third. Alex Aguirre then drilled a single to left that scored both Iwata and Gonzalez to push UH's lead to 3-0.

 

Hawai`i added two more runs in the second. Katie Grimes led off with a double to the left-centerfield gap. Pinch-runner Brynne Buchanan was then driven home on an RBI single by Traci Yoshikawa to rightfield. After a line-out to third, Iwata drew a walk and Gonzalez got her second hit of the game to shortstop to load the bases. Rodriguez then drove in her second run of the game with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give Hawai`i a 5-0 lead after two innings.

 

In the fourth inning, the Aggies started a rally, and put up their first run of the game. Alex Holmes led the inning off with a single past a diving Gonzalez at third base. Sarah Axelson followed with a single to left-centerfield, on the play, Holmes hustled all the way to third, and Axelson scooted to second. Kylie Fan then drove in Holmes with a single to centerfield. But Hawai`i settled down, getting a foul-fly out to third, a swinging strike out and a fielder's choice tag out by Iwata at short.

 

UC Davis then brought seven batters to the plate in the top of the fifth. JJ Wagoner led things off by beating out an infield single to third. Elizabeth Santana then got on base with a single to right. A pop-up to short was the inning's first out, and then Holmes hit a grounder in the hole at short, but on the play, Iwata made a diving stop and from the ground, flipped to Gonzalez at third to get the lead runner out. But then Ricketts walked the next two batters in, forcing home a run, cutting UH's lead to 5-2.

 

But in the bottom of the frame, UH erupted for five runs to end the game on the eight-run mercy rule. With one out in the inning, Amanda Tauali'i starting the scoring with a solo home run to straight-away centerfield. It was her 17th home run of the season that brings UH's total to 142 on the year. Grimes followed by drawing a walk. After a line-out to right by Yoshikawa, Majam hit a hard grounder at short, whose error allowed both runners to be safe. Iwata followed with a chopping infield single to load the bases. Gonzalez and then Rodriguez both walked to bring home Grimes and Majam. Then Aguirre hit a towering pop-up in foul territory off the first baseline. But the wind blew it back into the infield, where it fell in for a hit. Iwata and Gonzalez were both running on contact with two outs, and scored to push the 'Bows lead to 10-2 to end the game.

 

Hawai`i advances to face the winner of the Stanford vs. Texas Tech game. Tomorrow, the 'Bows will play at 12:00 p.m.