With the University of Hawaii softball team locked in a tight battle into the sixth inning, Stephanie Ricketts headed down to the bullpen to stay loose for the seventh.

Thanks to the Rainbow Wahine offense, she never made it back onto the field at all.

After falling behind early against Radford, the 22nd-ranked Rainbow Wahine rallied to tie the game, then ended it early by scoring eight runs in the bottom of the sixth in an 11-3 victory over the Highlanders on the opening day of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational.

UH’s comeback moved the Wahine to 13-0 and gave Ricketts (8-0) her 82nd career victory, tying her with Kelly Gentle for the school’s career wins record.

"That’s really awesome. I don’t think anyone ever goes into college aiming for that," Ricketts said. "I didn’t even know I was that close until this week."

Ricketts got off to a shaky start, as Radford shortstop Nichole Beall homered in her first two at-bats to give Radford a 3-1 lead in the third inning.

UH battled back with single runs in the third and fifth to tie the game. The Wahine then scored the go-ahead run in the sixth without the benefit of a hit and kept the rally going until junior shortstop Jessica Iwata hit a grand slam to bring the eight-run mercy rule into effect for the seventh time this season and the fifth game in a row.

"I knew it was going to be tough," UH head coach Bob Coolen said after the team’s first game coming off a 12-day break. "Radford played us tough the last time they were here. It was a matter of it took us a little bit to get going. We were patient, I don’t think I saw any panic in anyone out there."

UH matched the second longest win streak in program history with the victory and continues tournament play today against UC Santa Barbara at 3 p.m. and No. 20 Florida State at 5.

Ricketts, sporting a bruised eye after being hit with a throw during practice this week, gave up a home run to Beall to lead off the game for the first run UH has surrendered in the first inning this season.

The Wahine answered in the bottom of the inning on Iwata’s RBI double down the left-field line. But Beall struck again in the third inning by lining a two-run homer out to left.

UH came back with a run in the bottom of the third when Kelly Majam, who doubled to lead off the inning, scored on a wild pitch.

With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Kayla Wartner singled into the left-center gap and Sarah Robinson lined a double past a diving Ryndee Ruch in left field to score pinch runner Jazmine Zamora from first with the tying run.

UH’s first two hitters of the sixth walked and advanced on an illegal pitch. Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu then struck out swinging, but the ball got away from Radford catcher Michelle Beall, allowing Sharla Kliebenstein to score the go-ahead run. Beall’s throw back to the plate was wild and Leisha Liilii also scored.

Wartner doubled with the bases loaded to push the UH lead to 7-3. The Wahine then loaded the bases again for Iwata, who ended the game with her second home run of the season and fourth grand slam of her career.

"I didn’t know it was going to end it," Iwata said. "I just wanted to hit the ball because they (intentionally) walked me the at-bat before that."

In Friday’s first game, a two-run homer by Florida State’s Mallory Borden in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie and the 20th-ranked Seminoles opened the tournament with a 5-1 win over UC Santa Barbara.

Mililani graduate Courtney Senas went 3-for-3 with a stolen base, drove in a run and scored for the Seminoles (16-0).