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Tough two-out hitting powered Hawaii to a nonconference softball victory over Utah on Tuesday.
The Rainbow Wahine scored six runs on two-out hits, including three home runs in the last two innings, in a 7-3 win over the Utes in Salt Lake City.
The midweek break from the Western Athletic Conference schedule wasn’t a respite from big-game pressure as the Wahine — who moved up to 15th in the USA Today/NFCA poll and down to 19th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 on Tuesday — went into the late innings tied 2-2 at Ute Softball Field.
With two out in the top of the sixth, Kelly Majam launched a two-run homer to give UH the lead. After Utah (23-9) scored a run in the bottom of the inning, the Wahine pulled away in the seventh on a solo home run from Alex Aguirre and a two-run shot from pinch hitter Jocelyn Enrique and improved to 30-3.
“These nonconference games are huge for us because every single Pac-12 school has 20-plus wins and single-digit losses,” UH head coach Bob Coolen said after the Rainbow Wahine posted their second win over a Pac-12 team this season.
At Salt Lake City, Utah
HAWAII (30-3) |
010 |
012 |
3 |
— |
7 |
8 |
0 |
UTAH (23-9) |
000 |
021 |
0 |
— |
3 |
6 |
1 |
Stephanie Ricketts and Kayla Wartner. Generra Nielson, Mariah Ramirez (7) and Shay Wallace. W—Ricketts. L—Nielson. Leading hitters—Hawaii: Kelly Majam, HR, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Alex Aguirre, HR; Dara Pagaduan, 2-2, 3 runs, 2B; Jocelyn Enrique, HR; Brynne Buchanan, RBI. Utah: Jackie Sweet, 2-3, 2B, RBI; Hannah Clements, HR, 2 RBIs. |
UH pitcher Stephanie Ricketts gave up six hits, struck out four, walked five and earned the complete-game win to raise her record to 19-2.
Utah starter Generra Nielson finished with eight strikeouts and five walks and kept the Utes close until giving up the late home runs.
UH took the lead in the top of the second when Brynne Buchanan delivered a two-out single to score Dara Pagaduan, who had doubled earlier in the inning.
Jessica Iwata’s RBI single in the fifth gave UH a 2-0 lead, but the Utes tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by Hannah Clements.
In the sixth, Pagaduan walked and after a popup and a strikeout, Majam hit her team-leading eighth home run of the season.
“Kelly just was aggressive, she did not want to lose this game,” Coolen said. “(Nielson) put one right into a good extension zone and she hit it a country mile. It was a no-doubter.”
Utah threatened to tie the game with two out in the bottom of the sixth when Jackie Sweet singled with runners on second and third. But Majam threw Katelyn Elliott out at the plate to end the inning.
Utah was looking to stay within a run in the seventh when Aguirre hit her third home run of the season. After Pagaduan walked, Enrique, a junior from Kapaa, hit the first homer of her college career out to center field.
“They hit that way in practice (on Monday),” Coolen said. “The altitude is amazing up here, the ball flies.”
UH continues its road trip with another nonconference game against Utah Valley of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference today in Orem, Utah.
The Wahine resume the WAC schedule Friday at Brigham Young.