They walked away with at least one win.

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The Rainbow Wāhine Softball team came away with a doubleheader split in heart-stopping fashion with a 7-2 loss to Cal State Bakersfield in game one, and defeating Utah Tech, 8-6, in eight innings in game two to conclude the Spring Fling Tournament on Sunday at Rainbow Wāhine Softball Stadium. The Utah Tech win was all thanks to a Milan Ah-Yat walk-off double home run in the eighth inning.

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Game #1: 7-2, CSU Bakersfield

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The first game of the day saw Bakersfield score first via a Hannah Garcia RBI double in the first inning that drove in Kaia Johnson. Bakersfield added more insult to injury with double home runs in the third and fourth innings via Maalia Cherry in the third inning, and Alexia Castro in the fourth.

It took UH until the fourth inning to finally get on the board. Millie Fidge used a sacrifice fly to centerfield, but it was enough to bring Jamie McGaughey home.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Chloe Borges brought the UH crowd to its feet with a solo home run to left field in the sixth inning; unfortunately, UH would not score again after that.

 

Bakersfield's Cherry hit a second double home run to ultimately put the Roadrunners in the win column over the 'Bows.

"It was just one of those games," Ah-Yat said. "The other team was just hitting the ball and we weren't matching them, so that's where we fell short."

Game #2: 8-6, UH (8 innings)

UH hit the proverbial reset button for the second and final game of the day against the Utah Tech Trailblazers. The 'Bows struck first via Borges with an RBI single to score Carys Murakami and Izabella Martinez; the only hiccup was that Liliana Thomas was tagged out at third base.

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After a scoreless second inning, the Trailblazers wiped out UH's early lead with five runs of their own. That started with a Carly Eldredge RBI single that brought in Maka Sonognin. Baylee Howley would hit a two-run RBI double to bring in LB Kahahawai-Kekona, Eldredge, and Cassidy Hornung; Howley would score on a wild pitch to make it, 5-2, Utah Tech.

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It appeared to be curtains at that time, but the Wāhine were not so sure. When it was their turn in the third inning, UH went went to work.

Izabella Martinez began the third for the 'Bows with a single up the middle and got to second on a wild pitch. Liliana Thomas would get all the way to third on a throwing error by the pitcher, and Martinez was able to score from second base; Thomas would score next via a Borges single up the middle to bring UH within one, 5-4.

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In the fourth, Utah Tech got a run back via Sonognin from an Eldredge RBI single, but that was the last time Utah Tech would score for the rest of the way due to some clutch double plays on UH's behalf.

After a scoreless fifth inning, UH's Kayara Tuiloma blasted a two-run homer to right center in the sixth to bring in Kennedy Thompson. That Tuiloma homer tied the score at 6-6. Neither Utah Tech nor UH could score before the seven scheduled innings were finished.

International tie-breaker rules came into play, which allowed a pinch runner from both teams at second base in the extra inning. Utah Tech could not score when it was their turn, which gave UH another chance to end the game.

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When it was UH's turn, they put Keely Kai at second base. With Ah-Yat the first one at the plate, it took four cracks, but she brought the UH fans to their feet with her walk-off double home run to left field to ultimately end the game and give UH the 8-6 win! In total, UH had outscored Utah Tech, 6-1, from the third inning on.

"I knew that our team could do it because we just keep pushing and battling," Ah-Yat added.​ "This whole weekend, we've proved to ourselves that we can fight back no matter what."

UH improves to 8-2 in the 2025 season while Utah Tech fell to 4-7. UH will now hit the road to take on the Cal Baptist Lancers at Funk Stadium in Riverside, California on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. HST.