The No. 21/23 University of Hawai‘i softball team (42-12, 19-1 WAC) battled back to defeat San Jose State (33-24, 8-13 WAC), 16-8 in six innings at the NMSU Softball complex. UH blasted six home runs in the win, tying the
The No. 21/23 University of Hawai‘i softball team (42-12, 19-1 WAC) battled back to defeat San Jose State (33-24, 8-13 WAC), 16-8 in six innings at the NMSU Softball complex. UH blasted six home runs in the win, tying the NCAA Division I team single-season record of 134, states a UH press release.
With the win over SJSU, Hawai‘i advances to today’s semifinal game against the second-seeded Fresno State Bulldogs, who defeated Boise State, 5-4. The game will be played at 10 a.m. HT and televised on KFVE. It will also be broadcast on ESPN 1420.
Melissa Gonzalez led the ‘Bows at the plate, going 4 for 5 with two homers, two doubles, and a career-high six RBIs. It marked the fifth time this season that Gonzalez has hit two home runs in a game. She tied the WAC tournament record for both home runs in a game and home runs in the tournament with two.
It is the fourth time in her career that she hit two doubles in a game and her six RBIs were one more than her previous game-high of five set against Fresno State earlier this year.
Joining Gonzalez in in the home-run barrage were Kanani Pu‘u-Warren, Katie Grimes , Alex Aguirre and Kelly Majam. Majam’s opposite-field blast to left-center field was UH’s 134th of the season, tying the record set by Arizona last season.
UH pitcher Stephanie Ricketts (23-6, 13-0 WAC) earned the win, throwing five innings. She gave up eight runs — five earned — on six hits with seven walks and two strikeouts. Freshman southpaw Kaia Parnaby earned her second save of the season after taking over with a one-run lead.
The ‘Bows fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning, but UH came right back to tie it at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame. Majam led off with a walk and Jessica Iwata followed with a double to the left-center field gap, moving Majam to third. Gonzalez then launched her first home run of the day and 21st of the season over the left field fence.
Gonzalez struck again the second inning, with a two-run bomb that cleared the trees beyond the center field fence, giving UH a 5-3 lead after two complete innings.
But the scrappy Spartans then posted four runs in the top of the fourth to retake the lead, 7-5. The ‘Bows got one run back in the third on a solo shot by Pu`u-Warren to center field.
San Jose State posted another run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by BranDee Garcia, giving the visiting team an 8-7 lead.
Hawai‘i responded in the fifth, scoring five runs to leapfrog SJSU for a 12-8 advantage. Grimes led the inning off with a solo home run. The Spartans’ Jennifer Ames then was relieved by Jaclyn Imhof, who walked the first batter she faced, Traci Yoshikawa. She then got a pop up to short for the first out.
Iwata then hit a single to center, before Jenna Rodriguez then came through with a two-out, RBI single to left to drive in Yoshikawa from second. Aguirre then drove an opposite-field shot that sailed over the right field fence for a three-run home run.
Yoshikawa started off UH’s final rally in the sixth inning with a single to center. Majam then followed with her 26th home run of the season, adding to her record freshman campaign. Iwata then walked for the second time in the game and Gonzalez followed with her second double.
Rodriguez then came through with a single up the middle, driving in both Iwata and pinch runner Tara Anguiano to end the game by the eight-run mercy rule, 16-8.
