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Hawaii’s roller-coaster season fittingly ended with a doubleheader split.
The Rainbow Wahine softball team opened senior night with a 7-4 victory on Friday in the middle game of its Big West series with Long Beach State.
The 49ers bounced back to close the season with a 7-4 win in the finale at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Long Beach State (23-28-1, 11-10 Big West) claimed the series with UH (29-23, 8-13) for the fifth straight year while becoming the first visiting team to take a series at RWSS in the Big West season.
Before being honored as part of UH’s three-member senior class, first baseman Heather Morales closed her career by going 4-for-7 and driving in five runs in the doubleheader. She sparked hope for a late-inning rally in the finale by launching a three-run homer to center field in her next-to-last collegiate at bat, the 18th of her career.
“I was going for the fences,” Morales said. “I was seeing pitches pretty well all day. When it came down to it I was swinging knowing it could be my last.
“To be honest that was the fastest I’ve ever run around the bases.”
After the game, Morales, pitcher Kanani Aina Cabrales, who got the start in the second game, and outfielder Ulu Matagiese were honored in the traditional senior ceremony.
“When it came down to hugging my teammates, seeing my family at the end, I did get many tears in my eyes,” a lei-covered Morales said.
“We’ve been through some rough times, but coming down to it, it was a great experience with them. Through the good and through the bad we stuck with one another and kept going.”
UH junior Brittany Hitchcock earned the win in the first game with six innings of relief. LBSU senior Christina Clermont also picked up a win in relief by holding off the Wahine over five innings in the second game.
“Brittany came in and pitched well, we started hitting the ball and playing loose,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “The second game I put all the seniors in. We made it interesting, got a lot of hits … we tried different things with different players, some worked and some didn’t. Heather had a great night, which was great.”
The teams combined to send six shots out of RWSS in the doubleheader, with LBSU’s Tierra Falo starting the power surge with a two-run homer with two out in the top of the second of the opener to give the 49ers an early lead.
UH freshmen Angelique Ramos and Chardonnay Pantastico joined Morales with home runs for Hawaii. Jessica Flores and Aniesa Maulupe went deep for LBSU.
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At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
>> Long Beach State (22-28-1, 10-10) 020 020 0 — 4 7 5
>> Hawaii (29-22, 8-12) 113 200 x — 7 8 1
Cielo Meza, Jessica Flores (4) and Lauren MacLeod. Dana Thomsen, Brittany Hitchcock (2) and Heather Cameron, Callee Heen (2). W—Hitchcock. L—Meza.
Leading hitters—LBSU: Flores, HR, 2 RBIs; Tierra Falo, 2- 3, HR, 2 RBIs. Hawaii: Danielle Garcielita, 2-3, RBI; Nicole Lopez, RBI; Heather Morales, 2-3, 2 RBI; Callee Heen, RBI; Angelique Ramos, 2-3, HR.
>> Long Beach State (23-28-1, 11-10) 103 030 0 — 7 10 2
>> Hawaii (29-23, 8-13) 100 030 0 — 4 9 1
Jessica Flores, Christina Clermont (3) and Lauren MacLeod, Monique Dyer (7). Kanani Aina Cabrales, Brittany Hitchcock (5) and Callee Heen (2). W—Clermont. L—Aina Cabrales.
Leading hitters—LBSU: Hannah Cookson, 2B; Jessica Flores, 3-3, RBI; Aniesa Maulupe, HR, 3 RBIs; LT Torres, 2 RBIs; Kelli Finan, 2B, RBI; Mattie Scheele, 2-3. Hawaii: Danielle Garcielita, 2-4; Chardonnay Pantastico, HR; Heather Morales, 2-4, HR, 3 RBIs; Sarah Muzik, 3B.
BIG WEST SOFTBALL
Thursday
>> Long Beach State 1, Hawaii 0
Friday
>> UC Riverside 2, Cal Poly 1
>> UC Davis 8, Cal State Northridge 7
>> UC Santa Barbara 4, Cal State Fullerton 3
>> Hawaii 7, Long Beach State 4
>> Long Beach State 7, Hawaii 4
Today
>> Cal State Northridge at UC Davis (DH), 9 a.m.
>> Cal Poly at UC Riverside (DH), 10 a.m.
>> Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara (DH), 10 a.m.
— End of regular season —
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