A promising start quickly dissipated and the University of Hawaii softball team dropped its fifth straight game with a 9-3 loss at UC Santa Barbara on Friday.

After the Rainbow Wahine took the lead in the top of the first inning, the host Gauchos answered in the bottom of the frame and broke away with a four-run third inning.

Arianna Palomares sparked the UCSB attack with two doubles and drove in three runs and Ashley Ludlow struck out six in a complete-game victory.

“They made the plays and they hit the ball after a while and we just could not execute,” UH coach Bob Coolen said in a phone interview.

UH (20-26, 4-9 Big West) will try to halt its longest losing streak of the season when the series concludes today with a doubleheader at 10 a.m. at UCSB’s Campus Diamond.

UH freshman Sarah Muzik went 2-for-4 with a triple at the top of the lineup and four of UH’s seven hits off of Ludlow went for extra bases, “but we’re not putting it together,” Coolen said.

UH right-hander Brittany Hitchcock gave up five runs on six hits in 22⁄3 innings in her second shortest start of the season. Kanani Aina Cabrales allowed four runs on four hits in 31⁄3 innings of relief.

UH jumped ahead in the first inning on Heather Morales’ RBI single and UCSB (23-25, 6-7) responded with Palomares’ sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.

Hitchcock allowed just her seventh walk of the season to open the bottom of the third and had two out when Melanie Menor doubled to score Jessica Tetzlaff with the go-ahead run. Palomares followed with an RBI double and later scored on an error. Jacqueline Hinojosa’s RBI single chased Hitchcock and gave the Gauchos a 5-1 lead.

UH scratched out a run in the sixth on Rachael Turner’s sacrifice fly to score Breanna Ojala, who went 2-for-2 with a double. But the Wahine also had two runners thrown out at the plate from the outfield to hamper their comeback hopes.

UH will need to go 7-1 over the final eight games to avoid its second sub-.500 season in the past three years.

Brittany Hitchcock, Kanani Aina Cabrales (3) and Heather Cameron, Rachel Lack (3). Ashley Ludlow and Samantha Stark. W—Ludlow. L—Hitchcock.

Leading hitters—Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, 2-4, 3B; Nicole Lopez, 2B, RBI; Keiki Carlos, 2B; Heather Morales, RBI; Breanna Ojala, 2-2; Rachael Turner, RBI. UCSB: Jessica Johnston, 2B, 3 runs; Melanie Menor, 2B, RBI; Arianna Palomares, 2-3, 2 2B; 3 RBIs; Emily Brucelas, 2 RBIs; Jacqueline Hinojosa, RBI.

Friday

UC Santa Barbara 9, Hawaii 3

Long Beach State 8, Cal State Fullerton 4

Today

Hawaii at UC Santa Barbara (2), 10 a.m.

Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside (2)

UC Davis at Cal Poly (2)

Sunday

Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside

UC Davis at Cal Poly