Despite seeing two comebacks fall short Saturday, Hawaii’s Maya Nakamura left UC Davis’ La Rue Field with an upbeat outlook on the just completed Rainbow Wahine softball season and the one awaiting next spring.
A week after celebrating a sweep on senior day at home, the Rainbow Wahine found themselves on the other end of the festivities on Saturday after host UC Davis held on for 5-3 and 4-2 victories in a season-ending doubleheader.
Nakamura, a sophomore second baseman, belted UH’s 36th and final home run of the season in Saturday’s first game, as the Wahine — who won the series opener 6-4 on Friday — closed the season at 23-19 overall and 17-10 in Big West play and finished alone in third place in the conference standings.
Saturday’s first game snapped a five-game UH winning streak, and the late-season surge — highlighted by a sweep of Big West champion Cal State Fullerton — provided impetus going into the offseason for the Wahine returnees.
“With a lot of girls returning I’m pretty hopeful for next season,” Nakamura said in a phone interview. “I think we did a good job of competing, not just toward the end of the season but even in the beginning of the season. We established a very good way of … just staying in games and not rolling over. So I was very proud of the team for doing that this season.”
Cal State Fullerton (36-20, 20-7) clinched the Big West title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals with a 2-1 win over Long Beach State in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday in Fullerton, Calif. Long Beach State (29-22, 19-8) won the finale 8-3 but fell a game short of the championship.
The Wahine remained within sight of the leaders deep into the conference season, and Saturday’s games were the last two of UH’s 18 conference contests decided by two runs or fewer. UH went 11-7 in those contests, including a 6-4 mark in one-run games.
Nakamura hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning of Saturday’s opener to cut into a 5-0 UC Davis lead after Aggies starter Kenedi Brown held the Wahine without a hit over the first five innings.
“(Brown) has a really deceiving changeup. Personally, I was just looking for something fast to hit,” Nakamura said. “Last year I swung at every changeup she threw. Coach Bob (Coolen) gave me a hit-and-run, so I was swinging no matter what and it was an inside pitch and I like to swing at those.”
Brown recovered to strand the tying runs on base in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win. She came back in relief in the season finale and earned a six-out save.
Nakamura led the Wahine with a .331 batting average and finished second on the team with 25 runs batted in and six home runs. Senior shortstop Nawai Kaupe posted a .328 average and won the Big West home run title with 13.
Defensively, the middle infield duo also contributed the bulk of UH’s school-record 26 double plays, turning one more 6-4-3 in the finale.
“Being able to develop a friendship on the field and off the field was so awesome,” said Nakamura, who is slated to slide over to shortstop next season. “Being able to watch her play and play with her is something I will cherish forever.
“Having that off-the-field bond really helps the chemistry on the field as well.”
UH freshman Brianna Lopez took the loss in Saturday’s finale and closed the season at 14-8 with a 2.07 earned-run average. The left-hander was twice named the Big West Freshman of the Week and earned a Pitcher of the Week award in establishing herself as the Wahine ace.
Senior Ashley Murphy finished at 4-5 as the middle-game starter in the Big West season. Freshman Chloe Borges (5-4, 5.19) was limited by an injury during the conference schedule and the Wahine signed two pitchers — 6-foot-2 Key-Annah Campbell Pu’a and Australian Millie Fidge — in their incoming class for next season.
