UH finishes tourney with a win

Hawaii’s first and last swings on Saturday accounted for all the scoring the Rainbow Wahine softball team needed to fend off Winthrop’s upset bid.

UH leadoff hitter Kelly Majam’s record-tying home run in the bottom of the first gave the Wahine the lead, and Jessica Iwata’s sacrifice fly in the seventh scored Dara Pagaduan with the decisive run in a 2-1 win over the Lady Eagles in the final game of the Chevron Spring Fling Tournament.

The Wahine, ranked 18th and 19th in the national polls, ended the tournament at 3-2 and will take a 24-2 overall record into the Western Athletic Conference season, which opens Friday against San Jose State at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

"Coach Bob (Coolen) told us yesterday Winthrop had been playing everyone hard," Majam said. "They’ve been scrappy and they swing the bat hard. It was a great win for us, especially going into the WAC."

UH senior Stephanie Ricketts got the pitching assignment for the third consecutive day and finished with eight strikeouts against one walk while giving up six hits and improved to 14-2.

With UH looking to rebound from Friday’s loss to Texas A&M, Majam tied Kate Robinson for the program’s all-time home run record in the first inning by hammering the second pitch she saw over the right-field fence for the 44th homer of her career.