Hawaiʻi softball rebounds to sweep Riverside in doubleheader!

The "Mānoa Magic" returned again!

The Rainbow Wāhine Softball team pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a critical doubleheader sweep over the UC Riverside Highlanders, 4-3, in game one, and 3-2, in game two on Saturday at Rainbow Wāhine Softball Stadium!

Game #1: 4-3 UH

After two scoreless innings, Riverside struck first on an Eta Lauti solo home run to center field in the third inning. The Highlanders kept the Wāhine quiet when it was their turn.

UH responded back an inning later. Izabella Martinez began the bottom of the fourth with a double to right field. After she was swapped with pinch runner Keely Kai, Milan Ah Yat hit an RBI single up the middle that was enough to bring in Kai to put UH on the board. Ah Yat was subbed out with pinch runner Maya Ichimura, and Jamie McGaughey blasted a double home run to right center that brought in Ichimura and put UH in the lead, 3-1.

After UCR came up empty in the fifth, UH added another run. Larissa Goshi hit a fielder's choice to first base while teammate Chloe Borges was tagged out at second, and Martinez was walked. With Carys Murakami at bat, she missed a bunt, but Martinez was able to advance to second while Goshi stole third; Goshi then scored off a Riverside throwing error to make it 4-1, UH. Martinez was unable to score after getting to third off an Ah Yat single after McGaughey got tagged out at first base.

Riverside tried to rally in the sixth. Rebeca Cabezas used a sacrifice bunt, but teammate (and Waimanālo native) Trendee Kahunahana was still able to score. Kamryn Davis hit a single to left center that was enough to bring in fellow teammate Lauti. Riverside loaded the bases when Haley Saole was hit by a pitch, but UH got out of that jam with a Jackie Alday strikeout and a pop-up out on Mariana Palazuelos.

Neither UH nor UCR scored another run the rest of the way. UCR was held to a mere Lauti single in the seventh inning for the final arithmetic.

Game #2: 3-2 UH

The second game proved to be a different story. While Riverside racked up as many as seven hits by the third inning, they did not score a run at all, but neither did UH, who had yet to log a hit.

UH got out of a jam in the first inning when UCR loaded the bases. A fly out to right field by Palazuelos ruined that UCR rally.

UH would finally get their first hit of the game in the third inning via Martinez, but she was tagged out at second base. A Murakami fly out to left field ended the third inning.

UH did not get another chance to score until the fifth when Cierra Yamamoto got to first on a fielding error. She got to second on a Goshi sacrifice bunt and got to third on a Riverside fielding error; unfortunately, a Murakami fly out to left field left Yamamoto stranded at third.

In the sixth, UH got two quick outs, but Riverside loaded the bases on a Davis walk. Thankfully, UH got out of that jam unscathed, too, via a Leilani Juan pop-up to second base. The 'Bows had another chance to score via Ah Yat when it was their turn, but Ah Yat was tagged out at home off an Alyssa Nakagawa fielder's choice bunt.

Riverside finally broke the ice in the seventh inning with back-to-back home runs from Saole and Alday for the 2-0 lead. It appeared that UCR would steal this series, but UH was not so sure.

UH loaded the bases off of singles from Yamamoto, Ellyanna Cinzori, and Goshi rather quickly. Martinez whacked an RBI single up the middle that allowed teammates Yamamoto and Cinzori to tie the score at 2-2. Ah Yat hit a fielder's choice to the shortstop that was enough to bring home Goshi and give UH the series win, 2-1.

With the doubleheader sweep, UH improves to 22-14 overall and 8-6 in the Big West standings. To make things better, UH jumped up to fourth place in the standings after Long Beach State lost all three games at Cal State Fullerton earlier this week.

UH will now hit the road for a three-game series at Cal State Bakersfield beginning with a single match on Friday, Apr. 11 at 11:30 a.m. HST and a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 12 at 9 a.m. HST. UH has something to prove after falling to CSU Bakersfield, 7-2, in the front half of the Spring Fling Tournament doubleheader on Feb. 16, 2025.