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Hawaii twice took a lead against 12th-ranked UCLA on Saturday. Both times the Bruins answered and eventually pulled away from the Rainbow Wahine softball team in an 8-4 win in the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.
UCLA shortstop Delaney Spaulding doubled in all three of her official at-bats and left fielder Gabrielle Maurice drove her in three times and the Bruins improved to 8-2 while UH fell to 5-4 and 2-2 in the tournament.
Ally Carda held UH to one hit in 3 1/3 innings of relief and picked up the win for UCLA. UH’s Kanani Aina Cabrales struck out five, walked three and went the distance in the loss.
Hawaii loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning and Kayla Wartner scored the game’s first run on Heather Morales’ ground out to shortstop.
UCLA jumped ahead in the bottom of the third when Carda scored the tying run on Spaulding’s first double and Maurice followed with a single to right to drive in the go-ahead run.
The Wahine answered in the fourth with Tayana Mata’s two-out, two-run triple to score Sarina Jaramillo and Rachel Lack. Lindsey Willmon followed with a single to drive in Mata and chase UCLA starter Selina Ta’a milo.
The Bruins rallied again with a four-run fifth inning. Spaudling again doubled to ignite UCLA and scored on Maurice’s single to tie the game. With two out, Brittany Moeai singled and LaRosa scored on a throwing error, giving the Bruins a 5-4 lead. Punahou graduate Mysha Sataraka followed with another RBI single.
After UH left two runners in scoring position in the top of the sixth, UCLA added two more runs in the bottom of the inning with Carda driving in a run and Maurice driving in Spaulding for the third time.
UH concludes its four-day, six-game run in the tournament with a doubleheader against Seattle and Portland State at the Stephanie Lynn Craig Softball Complex in Henderson, Nev. starting at 9:15 a.m. Hawaii time.
