UC Davis sweeps UH softball team in Big West doubleheader

Four UC Davis pitchers combined to shut out the University of Hawaii softball team in a sweep of today’s Big West doubleheader in Davis, Calif.

In the first game at La Rue Field, UC Davis seniors Leah Munden and Justine Vela combined on the Aggies’ third shutout of the season in a 1-0 win. UC Davis then claimed the series win when Andrea Reynolds and Sara Cadona blanked UH 3-0 in the finale.

UH (17-19, 1-2 Big West) matched UC Davis with five hits in the first game and seven in the second, but couldn’t push a run across in either game and was shut out in a doubleheader for the first time since losing to BYU and Iona on March 17, 2011.

UC Davis third baseman Christina Guidry, the ninth hitter in the Aggies’ lineup, accounted for the lone run in the opener with her first home run of the season and second of her career. Her shot to left field off of UH starter Jennifer Iseri was also just the sixth of the season for UC Davis.

UH reliever Kanani Aina Cabrales allowed one hit and struck out three in 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief. But the Wahine offense couldn’t break through against UC Davis pitching.

Munden held UH to five hits, struck out two and walked one in 6 1/3 innings. She was relieved by Justine Vela in the seventh inning after Tayana Mata doubled with one out. Rachael Turner reached on a fielder’s choice and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Sarah McAndrew. After a pop up for the second out, both runners advanced on a wild pitch. But Vela got Breanna Ojala to pop up to shortstop to end the game.

In the second game, UH sophomore Brittany Hitchcock held UC Davis to three hits in the first four innings before the Aggies broke through in the fifth.

Kelly Zboralske led off with a double and scored on Megan Salazar’s single. Aina Cabrales again entered the game in relief and struck out the next two batters. But Taylor Peters extended the inning with a single and Alexis Carney followed with a two-run triple to give the Aggies a 3-0 cushion.

Reynolds blanked UH into the sixth inning and was replaced by Cadona after giving up singles to Mata and Keiki Carlos to start the inning. Cadona retired all six batters she faced to earn her second save of the season.

UH returns home for a series against CSUN starting Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.