Hawaii right-hander Brittany Hitchcock continued her opening-night mastery with some help from the Rainbow Wahine softball team’s freshman class in a 5-0 win over Sacramento State in the Paradise Classic on Thursday.
Hitchcock began her junior year by striking out a career-high 11 in a three-hit shutout and earned the win in UH’s season opener for the third straight year.
Freshman Callee Heen provided offensive support in her debut with a three-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Shortstop Angelique Ramos, another freshman, followed with a run-scoring single and senior Heather Morales singled in UH’s final run in the sixth.
Hitchcock held the Hornets to three hits, walked none and induced eight groundouts while throwing 88 pitches, 69 for strikes.
UH coach Bob Coolen entrusted pitch-calling duties to sophomore catcher Heather Cameron and “her and Brittany worked magic tonight.”
Hitchcock set her previous career high of eight strikeouts in a 2-0 win over Saint Mary’s in last year’s season opener and also earned the win in her debut in 2015.
“Brittany was throwing a real heavy ball and they were swinging at it,” Coolen said after UH’s seventh straight season-opening victory. “We just increased her innings up to five. … The last two innings were ‘Let’s see where we are strength-wise, conditioning-wise,’ and she came through.”
Hawaii’s first three batters of the season reached base, but the Wahine came up empty in the bottom of the first and stranded two more runners in the fourth.
The Wahine loaded the bases again with two out in the fifth when Heen lined her second double of the night into the right-center gap to clear the bases.
“She’s been hitting the ball real well, seeing the ball real well,” Coolen said. “First time up you could tell she was taking deep breaths, first time up in college. You knew it was going to happen once she relaxed.”
Hawaii 5, Boise State 3
Freshman Chardonnay Pantastico singled in a run in the second inning and launched UH’s first home run of the season in the sixth and the Wahine completed a sweep of their opening-day doubleheader.
Pantastico, a Campbell graduate, went 3-for-3 against the Broncos.
The three-day Paradise Classic continues today with UH scheduled to face Oregon State (2-0) at 7 p.m.
