A dramatic victory pulled Hawaii even in its series with Cal State Fullerton after the first game of Saturday’s Big West doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The finale was far less suspenseful, as the visiting Titans packed up for their trip home with the series win.

After Lindsey Willmon’s single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Rainbow Wahine a 6-5 win in the first game of the afternoon, Cal State Fullerton’s 11-run third inning powered the Titans to a 12-3 series-clinching victory in five innings.

"The third game was just a matter of who was going to be more focused, and obviously the results show Fullerton wanted it a lot more," UH coach Bob Coolen said.

Fullerton pulled out a 5-3 win in extra innings on Friday, and Saturday’s split left both teams at 4-2 in the Big West. UH (19-16 overall) will next face league leader Long Beach State (28-9, 5-0) in a three-game road series starting Saturday.

UH is 9-2 on the mainland this season but has lost six of its last eight at home.

Willmon homered in both games on Saturday and delivered the decisive single in the middle game of the series, which featured wild momentum swings in the late innings.

Willmon led off the bottom of the first with her eighth home run of the season and UH led 3-1 going into the sixth inning. CSF jumped ahead on Lauren Mario’s three-run homer and UH reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning on Leisha Li’ili’i’s two-out, two-run double.

Trailing 5-4, the Titans were down to their last strike in the top of the seventh when Melissa Sechrest tied the game with a home run to center field. The inning ended when Gabby Aragon, who was pinch-run for in the sixth, singled but was called out to end the inning because CSF hadn’t reported to the umpires that she had re-entered the game.

Sharla Kliebenstein reached base on an error to lead off the bottom of the seventh, stole second and went to third on Heather Morales’ fly out. With two out, Willmon drilled a single up the middle to score Kliebenstein with the winning run.

"You just want to get it through the infield," Willmon said. "You always want to hit behind the runner and get it on the ground and get it through."

Willmon’s single also gave Morales a complete-game victory. Morales (9-6) gave up 12 hits, struck out two and walked one.

The series finale was decided when Cal State Fullerton’s first 11 batters of the third inning reached base and the Titans scored nine runs before the first out of the inning was recorded.

"When it leaks it sort of pours," said Coolen, who noted a misplayed bunt and two more miscues in the outfield that contributed to the inning.

Two more runs came on sacrifice flies and the Titans led 12-0. Missy Taukeiaho, Ariel Tsuchiyama and Samantha Galarza all had two hits in CSF’s nine-hit outburst.

"It’s one of those things that doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, wow. That was pretty unreal," CSF coach Kelly Ford said. "But what a battle, every game. Even after we exploded we knew Hawaii was not done. I can describe this series as a battle and we feel so fortunate to come out of the battle winning the series."

Willmon and Jazmine Zamora hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the third, but CSF closed out the win in the fifth.

BIG WEST SOFTBALL

Friday
CS Fullerton 5, Hawaii 3, 9 innings

Saturday
Hawaii 6, CS Fullerton 5
CS Fullerton 12, Hawaii 3
Cal Poly 14, UC Santa Barbara 1
UC Santa Barbara 2, Cal Poly 0
CS Northridge 5, UC Davis 1
UC Davis 5, CS Northridge 4
Long Beach State 8, UC Riverside 0
Long Beach State 7, UC Riverside 0

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium 

Jasmine Antunez, Christin Washington (1) and Ariel Tsuchiyama. Heather Morales and Kayla Wartner.

W—Morales. L—Washington.

Leading hitters—CSF: Missy Taukeiaho, 2-4; Melissa Sechrest, HR; Gabby Aragon, 2-3, HR; Samantha Galarza, 2-3; Lauren Mario, HR, 3 RBIs; Carissa Turang, 2-3. Hawaii: Lindsey Willmon, 2-5, HR, GW RBI; Keiki Carlos, 2-4, 2B; Leisha Li’ili’i, 2B, 3 RBI; Ulu Matagiese, RBI. 

Monique Wesley and Ariel Tsuchiyama, Olivia Martinez (3). Loie Kesterson, Keiki Carlos (3), Kesterson (3) and Sharla Kliebenstein, Kayla Wartner (4).

W—Wesley. L—Kesterson.

Leading hitters—CSF: Missy Taukeiaho, 3-4, 2B, RBI; Tsuchiyama, 2-3, 2 RBIs; Melissa Sechrest, 2 RBIs; Gabby Aragon, 2B, 2 RBIs; Samantha Galarza, 2-3, RBI; Lauren Mario, 2B, RBI; Carissa Turang, 2B, 2 RBIs; Leesa Harris, 2B. Hawaii: Lindsey Willmon, HR; Jazmine Zamora, HR; Ulu Matagiese, RBI.