Skies clear for a Wahine win against Idaho State

After having three games canceled due to rain, the University of Hawaii softball team closed the DeMarini Desert Classic with a 5-1 win over Idaho State on Sunday to cap its annual early-season trip to Las Vegas.

UH jumped ahead with a four-run rally in the top of the second inning and extended the lead in the fourth on freshman shortstop Angelique Ramos’ first collegiate home run. UH right-hander Brittany Hitchcock held Idaho State to four hits, struck out three and walked two in a complete-game performance to improve to 3-1.

“It was a day of false starts and changes and everything but we finally got it in,” UH coach Bob Coolen said in a phone interview. “It got a little cold at the end, but we persevered. We hit the ball well, they played well and Brittany pitched well after a day off.”

The matchup between the Rainbow Wahine (4-3) and Bengals (0-4) came about in the scheduling shuffle after all of Saturday’s games were rained out, including a UH doubleheader with Memphis and Colorado State.

UH was originally scheduled to face Nevada at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium on Sunday morning, but that game also was canceled. Conditions dried enough for the Wahine and Bengals to meet for an afternoon game at Stephanie Lynn Craig Softball Complex in nearby Henderson.

UH center fielder Danielle Garcielita went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot, raising her batting average to .478, and singled in the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. Sarah Muzik, who went 2-for-4, followed with another RBI single and Nicole Lopez drove in Ramos with a sacrifice fly. Garcielita, who hit .571 in the tournament, later scored on a passed ball to give UH a 4-0 lead.

Ramos went 3-for-3 hitting in the ninth spot in the order and homered to center with one out in the fourth inning, and UH finished with 11 hits, posting a double-digit hit total for the third time in four games in Las Vegas.

Idaho State broke up the shutout in the bottom of the fourth when Genesis Zamora scored on a passed ball, but Hitchcock got nine of the last 10 batters she faced.

UH returns to Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium this week to host the Bank of Hawaii Invitational. UH opens the four-day tournament on Thursday against No. 9 Oregon and also will face UNLV and Montana.

At Las Vegas, Nev.

Hawaii (4-3) 040 100 0 — 5 11 2

Idaho State (0-4) 000 100 0 — 1 4 0

Brittany Hitchcock and Heather Cameron. Harley Wells, Ashlyn Ames (4) and Shayna Dahlen. W—Hitchcock. L—Wells.

Leading hitters—Hawaii: Danielle Garcielita, 3-4, RBI; Sarah Muzik, 2-4, RBI; Nicole Lopez, RBI; Angelique Ramos, 3-3, HR.