The motivation is still brewing.

On Friday, the Rainbow Wāhine Softball Team kept their fire burning brightly against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners with an inspiring victory, 10-2, in five innings at Rainbow Wāhine Softball Stadium.

In the first inning, Haley Johnson assisted Xiao Gin in getting the game's first run despite being tagged out to second base. UH found themselves leading, 1-0.

Bakersfield tied the score in the top of the second with a Rylee Price solo home run.

UH was ready when it was their turn. Mya'Liah Bethea started things with a single up the middle and then stole second base; she advanced to third on a passed ball. After a pitch hit Madixx Muramoto, UH got three RBI singles from Cierra Yamamoto, Kaʻena Keliinoi, and Izabella Martinez to make it 4-1, UH.

Yamamoto's RBI single allowed Bethea to score, Keliinoi's RBI single drove in Muramoto, and Martinez's RBI single drove in Yamamoto.

After a scoreless third inning, UH struck again in the fourth. After singles from Keliinoi and Gin, Martinez juiced another RBI single to right field, allowing Gin to pick up her second run. Dallas Millwood used a sacrifice fly to allow Keliinoi to score another run, but the best was yet to come.

With the bases loaded, Bethea would ultimately seal the win with UH's second grand slam in the last three games! That left-field home run drove in Chloe Borges, and pinch runners Maya Ichimura and Larissa Goshi to make the score 10-1, UH! The 'Bows had logged an astonishing six runs in the fourth inning alone!

"It was solid off the bat," Bethea said of that grand slam. "You're always grateful for good contacts."

Bakersfield needed at least two runs in the fifth inning to prevent a mercy rule, but it was not meant to be. The Roadrunners only got a single run from Kaia Johnson via an Aariana Harrison RBI single.

This marks UH's third win in the last four games since losing Maya Nakamura to a season-ending injury in the second game against Cal Poly on Apr. 6.

"She is definitely one of our rocks," Bethea said of Nakamura. "She's made such an impact on all of our girls."

Hawaiʻi improves to 9-5 in the Big West and 16-19 overall while Bakersfield falls to 2-14 in the Big West and 4-34 overall. UH and CSUB will return to the diamond for a doubleheader at Rainbow Wāhine Softball Stadium on Saturday, Apr. 20, 2024, starting at 2 p.m. HST.