Two out of three is not bad.

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The Rainbow Wāhine Softball team flipped the script after Friday's disgusting 9-7 loss to sweep the UC Riverside Highlanders, 6-5, in eight innings, and 7-1 at Rainbow Wāhine Softball Stadium on Saturday. They now take the series, 2-1, over Riverside, and improve to 26-15 overall and 9-6 in the Big West standings.

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Game #1: 6-5 UH (8 innings)

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Just like on Friday, the 'Bows jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings. They did so via a Kaʻena Keliinoi solo home run and a Haley Johnson unearned run from a Cierra Yamamoto walk in the first inning and a pair of unearned runs from Keliinoi and Annamaria Nuño in the second inning.

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Hawaiʻi had trouble scoring another run for the next four innings and would see their 4-0 lead go up in flames. From the third to the seventh innings, Riverside logged five runs total, which included a Marissa Burk double home run in the third, and additional homers from Jackie Alday in the sixth, and Nadia Witt in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead.

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In the bottom of the seventh, Hawaiʻi finally responded back via an Izabella Martinez solo home run to tie things up at five apiece. Unfortunately, Hawaiʻi could not log one more run to put the first game away, and extra innings were needed to settle things once and for all.

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Hawaiʻi did what they had to do and kept Riverside scoreless in the eighth inning. Then, a fly ball from Maya Nakamura to right field was caught, but teammate Xiao Gin hustled fast enough to barely make it home in time to win game one for Hawaiʻi, 6-5, and save Hawaiʻi from losing the series to Riverside.

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Game #2: 7-1 UH

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Martinez kept her fire burning into game two. After a scoreless first inning, she belted her second solo home run in the second inning to put Hawaiʻi on the board first again.

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In the third inning, Keliinoi belted her second solo home run of the day to make it 2-0 Hawaiʻi.

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Riverside finally got on the board in the fourth inning via Kat Montuya from a Leah Brito RBI single to cut Hawaiʻi's lead in half, 2-1. It would turn out to be the only run Riverside would log in that second game.

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In the fifth inning, Martinez sealed the win for the 'Bows with a grand slam to make it 6-1 Hawaiʻi. Mya'Liah Bethea got in the jamboree, too with a solo home run of her own to make it 7-1 Hawaiʻi for the final arithmetic after Riverside went scoreless in the final two innings.

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Hawaiʻi now hits the road to play three games at Cal State Bakersfield. They will swing the bats on Friday, Apr. 21 at 11 A.M. HST and in a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 22 at 9 A.M. HST and 11 A.M. HST. Hawaiʻi beat Bakersfield earlier this season, 14-6, in six innings on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas as part of the UNLV Desert Classic.