North Dakota State silences UH in softball

North Dakota State pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic’s bounce-back performance on Friday kept Hawaii searching for a breakthrough in the Outrigger Spring Fling Tournament.

Sertic handcuffed the Rainbow Wahine for most of the night and the Bison extended UH’s losing streak to four with a 4-1 win on Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

After making an early exit in an 8-5 loss to Baylor in the first game of NDSU’s doubleheader, Sertic, a sophomore right-hander, retired the first 10 UH batters she faced, held the Wahine to two hits and finished with seven strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game victory.

“I think she was effectively wild at times and did a good job of mixing in and out a little bit,” NDSU coach Darren Mueller said.

“The Baylor game, we took her out after the third inning and she just wasn’t throwing the best she possibly could that game, so it was nice to see her bounce back and have better stuff this game.”

UH welcomed sophomore Brittany Hitchcock back to the circle for her first appearance since Feb. 28. Pain in her back had kept her out of the rotation and she gave up three hits in four innings in her return. Kanani Aina Cabrales gave up one hit in the final three innings, but the UH offense couldn’t match NDSU’s timely hitting.

“I definitely felt good and I think my ball was moving pretty well,” Hitchcock said. “I think (UH coach Bob Coolen) just wanted to see how I was out there against that team and brought Nani in and she did well.”

UH (12-13), which dropped one-run decisions in its first two games of the tournament, closes the weekend with a doubleheader today starting at noon against No. 21 Baylor. The Wahine then face NDSU (13-10) again in the finale.

NDSU scored the first run of Friday’s game on a wild pitch with two out in the top of the first inning and added two more in the fourth.

Logan Moreland led off the inning with a looper that fell in just behind third base and rolled into foul territory for a double. Cheyenne Garcia then dropped a single just over the infield to drive in Moreland. Two errors on Alyssa Reina’s grounder, the first at shortstop and another in left field, allowed Garcia to score from first.

In the seventh, Jackie Stifter’s flyball to left was misplayed into a double and pinch runner Joei Samper eventually scored on a wild pitch with two out.

“Every error we made, they scored,” Coolen said. “Brittany came back and pitched well enough to keep us in the game … and Nani pitched well after throwing yesterday.”

Sertic (9-4) earned a complete-game win in NDSU’s upset of No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa last week. She took a perfect game into the fourth inning before Nicole Lopez doubled to left center. UH wouldn’t muster another hit until Rachel Lack homered to left center with two out in the seventh.

Jacquelyn Sertic and Alyssa Reina. Brittany Hitchcock, Kanani Aina Cabrales (5) and Heather Cameron, Rachel Lack (5). W–Sertic. L–Hitchcock.

Leading hitters–NDSU: Logan Moreland, 2B; Cheyenne Garcia, RBI; Jackie Stifter, 2B. Hawaii: Nicole Lopez, 2B; Lack, HR.

Friday’s early games

Baylor 5, California 3

Baylor 8, North Dakota State 5

Today

California vs. North Dakota State, 10 a.m.

Baylor vs. Hawaii, noon

North Dakota State vs. Hawaii, 2 p.m.