Box Score

STANFORD, Calif.—The No. 19/23 University of Hawai`i softball team (46-13, 19-1 WAC) defeated No. 15/17 Stanford, 6-3, to advance to the NCAA Regional championship game(s) tomorrow. The 'Bows launched a pair of home runs by Melissa Gonzalez and Amanda Tauali'i, while Stephanie Ricketts (26-7) earned the win.

 

Ricketts fired her 27th complete game of the season in the win, giving up three runs on eight hits with no walks and one strike out in seven innings of work.

 

The 'Bows jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Kelly Majam led the game off with a single up the middle. Jessica Iwata followed with a ground ball hit to short, but a failed fielder's choice attempt at second allowed both runners to be safe and a walk to Melissa Gonzalez loaded the bases. The Cardinal got a pop-fly to right for the first out. But Alex Aguirre came through with a clutch two-run double to the left-centerfield gap to drive in both Majam and Iwata.

 

Hawai`i added three runs in the top of the second on two outs on a three-run home run by Gonzalez. Katie Grimes started the inning off with a single up the middle. Pinch runner Brynne Buchanan then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt to first executed by Traci Yoshikawa. The Cardinal then got a swinging strike out, but a hard-hit single by Iwata put runners at the corners. Iwata then stole second and Gonzalez then launched her 24th home run of the season over the centerfield fence.

 

Amanda Tauali`i drilled her 18th home run of the year over the rightfield fence with two outs in the top of the third to push UH's lead to 6-0.

 

But the Cardinal started to chip away at the UH lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs on two outs. After a ground out to second, Jen Becerra got Stanford's first single off the glove of a leaping Jessica Iwata. A comebacker to Ricketts was the second out, but then Alissa Haber hit a chopper over Tauali`i at first to drive in Becerra from second. Ashley Hansen follwed with an RBI triple into the right-centerfield gap to cut UH's lead to 6-2.

 

Stanford cut UH's lead to 6-3 on an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth by Maya Burns in the leftfield corner. The drive scored Melissa Koutz from second.

 

In the fifth, Stanford had runners at first and second with no outs. UH got the first out on a ground-out to second that pushed both runners into scoring position with the three and four batters coming out. But Ricketts got Shannon Koplitz to pop-up in foul territory to Gonzalez at third and Jenna Rich grounded out to second base to end the inning.

 

Hawai`i again held off the Cardinal in the bottom of the seventh inning. Becerra led off with a single through the leftside of the infield, but was erased at second on a fielder's choice from short to second. Haber kept things going with a single up the middle, but Ricketts struck out Hansen for the second out and then got Kopliz to fly out to shallow centerfield to end the game.

 

Hawai`i moves on to tomorrow's Regional championship game(s) against Texas Tech who won both their games today in the loser's bracket. The Red Raiders defeated UC Davis, 1-0 then came back to down host Stanford, 6-3. If the 'Bows should lose the first game, a second game will be played immediately after the first game with the winner advancing to the Super Regionals.