Hawaii freshman Callee Heen broke in a new bat in a big way on Friday.

Swinging a new DeMarini stick, the Rainbow Wahine catcher hammered two-run home runs in consecutive plate appearances to power the UH softball team to a 5-1 series-opening win over UC Santa Barbara at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

“We brought it out and she’s just loving the new bat,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “It’s sitting up in my office the whole year. It’s a great bat, she gets good extension and we didn’t have that last week at all.”

After scoring just three runs while being swept at Cal State Fullerton last week, the Rainbow Wahine (26-18, 5-8 Big West) bounced back Friday behind Heen’s homers and Brittany Hitchcock’s complete-game performance in the circle.

Heen broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run shot just inside the right-field foul pole. She came back up in the sixth and was hit by a pitch, but umpire Jim Bertuzzi ruled that Heen had leaned into it and kept her at the plate. Two pitches later, Heen launched a high arcing blast that landed on the roof of the batting cages beyond right field.

“It lit a fire,” Heen said of the ruling. “I’d rather take the home run than a walk.”

Heen became the first UH player to hit two homers in a game since Tayana Mata went deep twice against UC Davis on May 8, 2015. She also worked with Hitchcock to limit the Gauchos (27-22, 7-6) to four singles over the final six innings after giving up three in the top of the first.

Hitchcock struck out six and walked one while improving to 17-9 overall and 5-3 in Big West play.

“Callee made good adjustments, we made some plays behind Britt,” Coolen said. “Britt got a little stronger and had that little attitude and we need that.”

After UC Santa Barbara took the lead on Alyssa Diaz’s RBI single in the top of the first, Sarah Muzik answered for UH with a triple into the left-field corner. Freshman Chardonnay Pantastico followed with a single to left to tie the game.

“I definitely felt I needed to step it up because I know Dani (Garcielita) definitely has been killing it in the one spot,” said Muzik, who was moved to the lead-off spot after center fielder Danielle Garcielita was ruled out for the weekend because of an injured foot. “I was just thinking first pitch — if I saw it in the zone I’m just going to attack.”

UCSB ace Veronika Gulvin retired nine consecutive UH batters before Heather Morales looped a single into left field with one out in the fourth. After hitting two deep foul balls, Heen kept one fair for her seventh home run of the season, giving UH a 3-1 lead.

“I just told myself and Coach Bob kept telling me to get my hands out in front instead of getting jammed,” Heen said,

The series concludes today with a doubleheader.

—

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

>> UCSB (27-22, 7-6) 100 000 0 — 1 7 0
>> Hawaii (26-18, 5-8) 100 202 x — 5 6 1

Veronika Gulvin and Samantha Lujan. Brittany Hitchcock and Callee Heen. W—Hitchcock. L—Heen.

Leading hitters—UCSB: Sierra Altmeyer, 2-2; Alyssa Diaz, RBI. Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, 3B; Chardonnay Pantastico, RBI; Callee Heen, 2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBIs.

FRIDAY
>> Hawaii 5, UC Santa Barbara 1

TODAY
>> Cal Poly at UC Davis (DH), 9 a.m.
>> Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State (DH), 10 a.m.
>> UC Riverside at Cal State Northridge (DH), 10 a.m.
>> UC Santa Barbara at Hawaii (DH), 2 p.m.

SUNDAY
>> Cal Poly at UC Davis, 9 a.m.
>> UC Riverside at Cal State Northridge, 10 a.m.
>> Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State, noon