Hawaii softball coach Bob Coolen mustered enough energy to tidy up the UH dugout after Saturday’s Big West doubleheader, but was admittedly drained after the Rainbow Wahine pulled out a split with UC Davis.
After UH ran away with Friday’s series opener, UC Davis overcame a three-run deficit to win Saturday’s first game 7-6, snapping UH’s seven-game winning streak. The Wahine bounced back with a 6-2 win in the finale to emerge from the opening weekend of conference play with the series win.
“These series are so emotional, because it has so much meaning to it,” Coolen said with a deep exhale.
After the Aggies rallied in the first game, UH right-hander Brittany Hitchcock tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and freshman shortstop Angelique Ramos hit a tie-breaking home run in the fourth inning to propel UH to the series win.
“That’s so much momentum to take us into the next series,” Ramos said. “It was good for us to see that we can bounce back after a loss like that.”
The doubleheader capped a 27-game homestand for the Rainbow Wahine (23-11, 2-1), who have a day off today before preparing for their second road trip of the season and a series at Cal State Northridge starting Friday.
“They’re the leading home-run-hitting team in the conference, leading batting average in the conference. They’re going to be hungry,” Coolen said of the Matadors, who dropped a doubleheader at Long Beach State on Saturday. “It’s going to be a matter of us going out there and playing our game.”
UH hit .398 in the series with UC Davis (16-19, 1-2) with five home runs, including three on Saturday. Heather Morales hit UH’s first homer of the day, a towering two-run shot to left field that gave UH a 3-1 lead in the first game.
But UC Davis answered with the long ball, tying the game on Ashley Lotoszynski’s three-run homer in the third and taking the lead on Maddie Rojas’ two-run shot to right in the fourth.
UH’s Nicole Lopez answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, her second of the series. But the Aggies pieced together a two-out rally in the fifth and reclaimed the lead when Isabella Leon singled to score Lotoszynski.
UC Davis right-hander Katie Kibby held off UH the rest of the way, escaping in the sixth when Lopez’s line drive held up just enough for UCD left fielder Marissa Jauregui to make a knee-high catch and strand two UH runners.
Both teams scratched out single runs in the first inning of the finale and Ramos gave the Wahine the lead with her fourth homer of the season.
“It was intense, but I just wanted to do something for my team and just stay in my rhythm,” said Ramos, who hit .545 in the series. “An inside pitch, finally I got my hands to the ball.”
UH broke away with a three-run outburst in the fifth when Lopez looped an RBI double just inside the right-field line and Morales drilled a two-run single up the middle.
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
>> UC Davis (16-18, 1-1) 103 210 0 — 7 8 3
>> Hawaii (22-11, 1-1) 310 200 0 — 6 10 2
Katie Kibby and Alexis Carney. Dana Thomsen, Kanani Aina Cabrales (4) and Heather Cameron. W—Kibby. L—Aina Cabrales.
Leading hitters—UC Davis: Ashley Lotoszynski, HR, 3 RBIs; Isabella Leon, 2-4, RBI; Maddie Rojas, HR, 2 RBIs; Alex Sotomayor, 2B.Hawaii: Danielle Garcielita, 2B; Sarah Muzik, 3-4, 2B, RBI; Nicole Lopez, HR, 2 RBIs; Heather Morales, 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs.
>> UC Davis (16-19, 1-2) 100 000 0 — 2 4 3
>> Hawaii (23-11, 2-1) 100 131 x — 6 12 1
Andrea Reynolds, Sara Cadona (6) and Alexis Carney. Brittany Hitchcock and Callee Heen. W—Hitchcock. L—Reynolds.
Leading hitters—UC Davis: Christa Castello, 2-3; Marissa Jauregui, RBI. Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, 2-3; Nicole Lopez, 2-3, 2 2B, RBI; Heather Morales, 2-4, 2 RBIs; Heen, 2B; Angelique Ramos, 2-4, HR.
