Hawaii rallies came up short in both games of a Big West doubleheader at Cal State Northridge on Saturday, leaving the Rainbow Wahine softball team to work from behind in the conference standings.
CSUN right-hander Daphne Pofek held off UH (23-14, 2-4) in two complete-game victories and the host Matadors (24-13, 4-2) completed a sweep of the three-game series with 5-2 and 3-2 wins at Matador Diamond in Northridge, Calif.
“We’re fighting uphill,” UH coach Bob Coolen said in a phone interview. “We were frustrated, that’s for sure. We seemed like we were right there, but we just couldn’t get a (timely) hit.
“We could have won that game (Friday, a 6-5 CSUN comeback) and it just didn’t happen — they were more aggressive. Today they scored early and held us off and we just needed to get a little more aggressive at the beginning.”
Taylor Glover, the Big West’s leading hitter, went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead a CSUN offense that gave Pofek a 4-0 lead in the first game. UH broke through with two runs in the fifth, but left the bases loaded and Pofek held on in a 140-pitch effort.
UH junior Dana Thomsen (7-4) gave up two earned runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out four in the loss.
Pofek (11-4) returned to the circle in the finale and struck out three and walked none to secure the sweep.
UH senior Heather Morales drove in a run in the first game and erased a 1-0 deficit in the second with her seventh home run of the season.
But Glover’s RBI single in the third again pushed the Matadors ahead and Karlie Habitz singled in an insurance run in the fourth.
UH hadn’t posted a run in the seventh inning through 36 games this season until Courtney Hiruko scored on Sarah Muzik’s one-out groundout to shortstop. Jordian Hicks advanced to third on the play, but ended the game there when Pofek struck out Nicole Lopez swinging.
Kanani Aina Cabrales (2-3) went the distance for UH and allowed eight hits, struck out one and walked one.
UH returns home for a three-game series against UC Riverside starting Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
At Northridge, Calif.
>> Hawaii (23-13, 2-3) 000 020 0 — 2 6 3
>> CSUN (23-13, 3-2) 110 201 x — 5 8 2
Dana Thomsen and Heather Cameron. Daphne Pofek and Karlie Habitz. W—Pofek. L—Thomsen.
Leading hitters—Hawaii: Heather Morales, RBI; Callee Heen, 2B. CSUN: Taylor Glover, 3-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Katie Hooper, 2-4, RBI; Savannah Horvath, 2B.
>> Hawaii (23-14, 2-4) 010 000 0 — 2 6 2
>> CSUN (24-13, 4-2) 101 100 x — 3 8 3
Kanani Aina Cabrales and Heather Cameron. Daphne Pofek and Karlie Habitz. W—Pofek. L—Aina Cabrales.
Leading hitters—Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, RBI; Heather Morales, 2-3, HR; Callee Heen, 2-3. CSUN: Taylor Glover, 2 RBIs; Habitz, 2-3, RBI; Savannah Horvath, 3B.
