UCSB sweeps a pair from Wahine

When two leads evaporated on Saturday, Hawaii’s already tenuous hopes of catching the leaders in the Big West softball race likely went with them.

The Rainbow Wahine edged ahead of UC Santa Barbara in both games of their doubleheader and the Gauchos rallied both times in 5-3 and 5-1 wins to claim the three-game series.

UH arrived at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium with a chance to pick up ground on Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State, which split a doubleheader on Saturday, but instead slid 51⁄2 games out of the lead with six games to play.

"We’re spoilers," UH coach Bob Coolen said of the team’s role in the race going into a series at CSUN starting Friday.

UCSB (17-31, 4-11 Big West) played that part on Saturday in dropping UH (27-20, 8-7) from contender status by putting together a five-run sixth inning rally to snap an eight-game losing streak in the opener and going ahead in the finale on MeShalon Moore’s fifth-inning grand slam.

Lena Mayer and Ashley Ludlow both earned complete-game wins for UCSB, which hadn’t won consecutive games since sweeping San Diego in a doubleheader on March 31.

"They wanted it more," Coolen said. "They came to win two ballgames and we came to show up."

UH led 2-0 in the opener before UCSB’s Shelby Wisdom led off the sixth with a home run and the Gauchos took advantage of two Rainbow Wahine errors and a wild pitch in the inning.

The bottom of the sixth was delayed by a lengthy discussion between Coolen and umpires after the crew made conflicting calls on whether UCSB second baseman Arianna Palomares made a catch on Tayana Mata’s sinking liner with runners on first and third. One ruled the catch was made and Sarina Jaramillo retreated to first. Another said the ball was trapped and Jaramillo was forced out at second.

Coolen argued that the initial call forced Jaramillo back to first for the second out rather than giving UH a chance to load the bases with one out. After the discussion, which included the umpires consulting a rule book on the field, Mayer stranded two UH runners on base and earned the win despite giving up a solo home run to Leisha Li‘ili‘i with two out in the bottom of the seventh.

Mayer gave up eight hits, struck out one and walked two in the win. UH starter Kanani Aina Cabrales struck out three and surrendered 10 hits in the loss.

UH again took the lead in the series finale when Keiki Carlos led off the bottom of the third with a double and came around on Heather Morales’ one-out single.

UH right-hander Brittany Hitchcock held off the Gauchos into the fifth when UCSB loaded the bases on two infield singles and walk with two out. Moore then cleared them with a grand slam to left field.

Moore also drove in Kristen Clark, who went 4-for-4 with four infield singles, with a single in the top of the seventh.

Ludlow, who took the loss in UCSB’s 3-2 loss on Friday, struck out four and walked none while holding UH to six hits.

"None of their pitchers did we make corrections on to get our hands out so we were popping everything up," Coolen said. "We were moving (runners) over but couldn’t get them in."

Lena Mayer and MeShalon Moore. Kanani Aina Cabrales, Heather Morales (6) and Kayla Wartner. W—Mayer. L—Aina Cabrales.

Leading hitters—UCSB: Kristen Clark, 2-4; Jaqueline Hinojosa, 2-3, RBI; Moore, RBI; Shelby Wisdom, HR: Samantha Stark, 2B; Jessica Johnston, RBI. Hawaii: Wartner, HR; Leisha Li’ili’i, 2-4, HR; Lindsey Willmon, 2B; Sarina Jaramillo, 2-3; Ulu Matagiese, 2B, RBI.

Ashley Ludlow and MeShalon Moore. Brittany Hitchcock and Kayla Wartner. W—Ludlow. L—Hitchcock.

Leading hitters—UCSB: Kristen Clark, 4-4; Moore, 2-4, grand slam, 5 RBIs. Hawaii: Keiki Carlos, 2-3, 2B; Heather Morales, 2-3, RBI.