Wahine win another wild one

What happened in Vegas didn’t quite stay there for the University of Hawaii softball team.

The Rainbow Wahine won four slugfests during their stay in the desert last week, and they found themselves in another one Thursday against San Jose State before pulling out an 11-9 win in their return home for the opening game of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational.

After hitting four home runs in the first two innings, UH saw a 9-0 lead evaporate by the time the Rainbow Wahine came up for the bottom of the fourth. Leisha Li’ili’i answered with a two-run home run, and freshman pitcher Heather Morales (5-2) held off the Spartans the rest of the way.

"That was us in Vegas the whole time," UH coach Bob Coolen said.

"A win is a win is a win."

During their six-game run in the Easton Desert Classic, UH (8-4) fell behind early in each game and rallied to win four, including from a 10-run deficit against Portland State.

On Thursday, freshman left fielder Lindsey Willmon hit the first of UH’s five home runs to lead off the bottom of the first inning and UH went deep three more times in the second.

Senior shortstop Kaile Nakao’s three-run homer was the second of her career, and Keiki Carlos and Alyssa Villalpando added two-run shots later in the inning.

SJSU (7-4) came back over the next two innings largely on the bat of catcher Jessica Garcia, who hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven runs. Garcia cut into UH’s lead with a three-run homer in the third inning, then tied the score with a grand slam in the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, Carlos singled and Li’ili’i followed with her sixth home run of the season.

"It was all about what kind of character we have as a team and how much we’ve developed throughout preseason and fall," Li’ili’i said.

Allison Lang, Berlyn Rippentrop (2), Lang (5), Madison Fish (6) and Jessica Garcia. Heather Morales, Loie Kesterson (3), Morales (4) and Kayla Wartner.

W–Morales.  L–Rippentrop.

Leading hitters–SJSU: Devin Caldwell, 2-4; Jessica Garcia, 2-3, 2 HR, 7 RBIs.

Hawaii: Lindsey Willmon, 2-4, 2B, HR; Keiki Carlos, 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Leisha Li’ili’i, 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Alyssa Villalpando, 3-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Kristina Akiona, 2B; Kaile Nakao, HR, 3 RBIs.

Friday
North Carolina vs. San Jose State, 2 p.m.
North Carolina vs. St. Mary’s, 4 p.m.
St. Mary’s vs. Hawaii, 6 p.m.

Saturday
San Jose State vs. St. Mary’s, noon
North Carolina vs. Hawaii, 2 p.m.
No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 4 p.m.
No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 6 p.m.

Sunday
Third-place game, 10 a.m.
Championship, noon