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Primarily a pitcher last season, Kanani Aina Cabrales’ dual-threat potential earned her a spot in the batting order this spring.
She delivered in both capacities on Friday in the University of Hawaii softball team’s doubleheader sweep on the opening day of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational.
Aina Cabrales hit her first home run of the season in a 9-2 win over Utah Valley at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. She launched another against Portland State and earned a complete-game victory in the circle in a 10-1 five-inning rout.
“It was like the weight off my shoulders, a sigh of relief like ‘finally,’ ” Aina Cabrales said of the first homer, “because I know I can do that and I know I can help the team. I was just waiting for it to happen.”
The Wahine (7-6) hit four home runs in the doubleheader and posted their highest scoring totals of the season. They face Portland State (1-11) and Utah Valley (4-8) in another doubleheader today starting at 2:30 p.m.
UH returned from a 2-4 road trip to the DeMarini Desert Classic hitting .226 as a team with seven homers through 12 games. Tayana Mata set the tone for Friday’s breakout at the plate with a three-run homer in UH’s six-run first inning against Utah Valley. Heather Morales hit a three-run shot against Portland State and nine of UH’s 17 hits went for extra bases.
“We couldn’t come out today and just sort of get by,” UH coach Bob Coolen said.
Coolen said the staff put the team to work in the weight room after the trip and pushed them through intense practices leading into Friday’s doubleheader.
“We did not back off this week,” he said. “We didn’t have long practices, we had short and to the point, very intense.”
Mata reported for some early batting practice on Friday with Ulu Matagiese, who doubled in both games, and set the tone with her first homer of the season.
“I’d been in a slump and I came here early with Ulu and she helped me visualize and believe in myself because I was so down in the dumps,” Mata said. “We were talking and just doing mechanics and went back to the basics.”
Brittany Hitchcock (4-4) got the start against UVU and struck out four, walked none and gave up six hits in a complete-game victory.
Aina Cabrales gave up a run in the top of the first against Portland State, then gave herself the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Morales, who had a shot down the line called foul against Utah Valley, left no doubt in the second inning with a three-run blast to give UH a 5-1 lead and the Wahine brought the eight-run rule into effect in the fourth.
Aina Cabrales (4-2) held PSU to three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
“We needed today as a breakout,” Morales said. “We had a rough week in Vegas and today everybody came out swinging and our pitchers did really well. They came back strong.”
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
| Utah Valley (4-8) |
001 |
010 |
0 |
— |
2 |
6 |
3 |
| Hawaii (7-6) |
601 |
002 |
x |
— |
9 |
9 |
0 |
Bailey Moore, Kellee Ramsey (4), Dynasty Luvai (6) and Dana De La Torre, Tiani Hensley (3), De La Torre (4). Brittany Hitchcock and Heather Cameron. W—Hitchcock. L—Moore.
Leading hitters—Utah Valley: Cera Stanley, 2-2, HR: Breezy Roth, RBI. Hawaii: Nicole Lopez, 3B, RBI; Keiki Carlos, 2-2, RBI; Kanani Aina Cabrles, HR, 2 RBI; Breanna Ojala, RBI; Tayana Mata, HR, 3 RBIs; Ulu Matagiese, 2B.
| Portland St. (1-11) |
100 |
00 |
— |
1 |
3 |
2 |
| Hawaii (8-6) |
231 |
4x |
— |
10 |
8 |
2 |
Kristen Crawford, Karyn Wright (3) and Katherine Kramer. Kanani Aina Cabrales and Heather Cameron. W— Aina Cabrales L—Crawford.
Leading hitters—Portland State: Kortney Craker, 2B, RBI. Hawaii: Heather Morales, HR, 3 RBIs; Aina Cabrales, 2-2, HR, 2 RBI; Breanna Ojala, 2B, RBI; Ulu Matagiese, 2B, RBI; Cameron, RBI.
Friday’s early game
Portland State 6, Utah Valley 5
Today
Utah Valley vs. Portland State, noon
Portland State vs. Hawaii, 2:30 p.m.
Utah Valley vs. Hawaii, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday
Portland State vs. Utah Valley, 10 a.m.
Utah Valley vs. Hawaii, 12:30 p.m.
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