Momentum remained elusive for the University of Hawaii softball team on Saturday.

Hawaii catcher Rachel Lack homered for the second straight game and the Rainbow Wahine pulled away from Southern Utah 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader in the DeMarini Desert Classic in Henderson, Nev.

Grand Canyon then hit two home runs to send the Wahine to an 8-3 loss and their second split in as many days.

UH (6-5) faces Utah (7-3) today at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium in its final game of the tournament.

UH sophomore Brittany Hitchcock ended a three-game skid with a complete-game performance against Southern Utah at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park. Hitchcock held the Thunderbirds to four hits, struck out four and walked one while improving to 3-3.

Ulu Matagiese drove in Keiki Carlos with UH’s first run in the top of the fourth. Southern Utah tied the game in the bottom of the inning but UH reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth with Carlos driving in the go-ahead run and Heather Morales following with an RBI single.

Lack capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh and Hitchcock stranded two Thunderbirds runners on base in the bottom of the inning to close out the win.

The Wahine took the lead against Grand Canyon on Morales’ RBI groundout in the bottom of the first. But Grand Canyon (8-1) answered with three runs in the top of the second, all coming after an error with two out, and broke away in the fourth on Madelyn Dowdle’s three-run homer and Sierra Smith’s solo shot.

Matagiese hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, but GCU’s Kailey Regester held off the Wahine the rest of the way.

Regester gave up six hits, walked five and left 10 UH runners on base. Kanani Aina Cabrales (3-2) surrendered eight runs on 10 hits in four innings in the loss. Freshman Jennifer Iseri threw three innings of scoreless relief.

At Henderson Nevada

Kirsten Hostetler, Haley Wall (7) and Morgan Leonard. Brittany Hitchcock and Rachel Lack. W-Hitchcock. L—Hostetler.

Leading hitters—Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, 2-4; Lack 2-3, run, 2 RBIs; Breanna Ojala, 2-3. Southern Utah: Leonard 1-3, run; Chelsea Martinez 1-3, RBI.

At Henderson Nevada

Brittany Hitchcock, Kanani Aina Cabrales, Jennifer Iseri (7) and Rachel Lack, Heather Cameron. Kailey Regester and Kendsey Hill (7). W-Regester. L—Aina Cabrales.

Leading hitters—Grand Canyon: Madelyn Dowdie 2-4, HR, 3 RBIs; Nicole Newbury 2-4, 2 RBIs; Shea Smith 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Hill, 2-3, run. Hawaii: Ulu Matagiese 1-2, 2 RBIs, HR; Lack 2-3; Keiki Carlos 2-4.