Wahine split softball doubleheader with Matadors

After watching Cal State Northridge celebrate a second straight comeback win, the University of Hawaii softball team made sure there wouldn’t be a third.

The Rainbow Wahine saw a late-inning lead evaporate on Taylor Glover’s two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning and CSUN pulled out a 4-1 win in the first game of Saturday’s Big West doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

UH right-hander Brittany Hitchcock then turned her third shutout of the season in the finale and the Rainbow Wahine (18-21, 2-4 Big West) earned a split on “Military Appreciation Day” with a 6-0 win, ending a four-game skid.

“We know we have the skill set to go out there and put a great game together — it was kind of like a ticking time bomb, we were waiting for it,” Hitchcock said. “We had a lot of contributors in that game … we had a different lineup a little bit and a lot of people stepped up.”

A day after CSUN rallied to a 7-4 win against Hitchcock in the series opener, the sophomore held the Matadors (23-17, 3-3) to six hits, struck out three and walked none to improve to 8-10.

UH shortstop Breanna Ojala, who came off the bench in the first two games of the series, singled in all three of her plate appearances and scored twice in her return to the starting lineup. Senior Keiki Carlos drove in three runs, capping the scoring with a two-run double in the sixth inning.

“After our first loss, we just needed to focus on passing the bat,” Carlos said. “That was the message for this game, to make sure if someone gets on, ‘this is my job, and this is what we’re going to do.’ Breaking it down and trying to take pressure off of each other.”

UH travels to UC Riverside this week for a three-game series starting Friday.

In Saturday’s first game, CSUN starter Daphne Pofek and UH’s Kanani Aina Cabrales both took shutouts into the fifth inning and the Wahine broke through when pinch runner Dori Ann Sugai slid under the tag at the plate on Ulu Matagiese’s sacrifice fly to center field.

In the top of the sixth, CSUN’s Savannah Horvath chopped a single into left field to lead off the top of the sixth and Glover lined her third home run of the season over the center-field fence to give the Matadors the lead.

“She’s got such quick hands and every once in a while she just explodes on one,” CSUN coach Tairia Flowers said of Glover, the Big West’s leading hitter at .500 entering the day. “She’s tried to home in on the average this year, but she definitely came through when we needed her.”

Defensive miscues in the seventh helped CSUN extend the lead to 4-1 and Aina Cabrales took the loss, giving up two earned runs on seven hits with one walk.

“I thought Nani pitched a good game in the first game, it was just hard luck again,” UH coach Bob Coolen said.

UH jumped ahead in the series finale on Jennifer Iseri’s RBI double in the bottom of the third. Iseri later scored on Carlos’ infield single. With UH up 4-0 in the sixth, Carlos extended the lead with a two-run double to left field.

“You know we’re capable … We know how to win and we just have to keep going with that mentality,” Coolen said.