HONOLULU — The Hawaii softball team sent out its five seniors in style on Saturday, but results around the Big West meant that the Rainbow Wahine are precluded from a regular-season conference championship and automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Although the Rainbow Wahine earned the program’s first-ever sweep over Big West perennial contender Cal State Fullerton – winning 13-11 in eight innings with a walk-off homer by Dallas Millwood then in a 2-0 shutout in the home finale – they were mathematically eliminated for the title, thanks to Long Beach State’s sweep of last-place Cal State Bakersfield.
The best UH (22-17, 16-8 BWC) can now do is second place with one three-game series remaining at UC Davis. CSUF and LBSU are tied in first at 18-6 in conference and play each other in their final series, guaranteeing one will finish ahead of the Wahine.
Still, it was quite a home sendoff for seniors Nawai Kaupe, Brittnee Rossi, Kaeli Bush, Mikaela Gandia-Mak and Ashley Murphy. UH had never before swept Fullerton in 20 years as conference foes, and until Friday’s 1-0 win were on a 16-game losing streak to the Titans.
Fullerton (34-19 overall) had not been swept in a series this season.
Fortunes reversed drastically this weekend. Freshman ace Brianna Lopez, who authored the shutout Friday, came on in relief in both games Saturday, picking up the win in the first game in 2 1/3 scoreless innings, then got save in the second game with three shutout frames to back up winner Chloe Borges, who went the first four.
In Saturday’s first game, UH jumped out to a 10-1 lead through three innings, only to see the Titans storm back to tie it at 11-11 in the sixth.
Millwood ended that in the eighth inning with a launch to center field, her fifth homer of the season and seventh career. She went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the game.
In Game 2, Kaupe accounted for both runs off of Fullerton ace Raci Miranda (11-5). Kaupe launched a first-inning homer to left-center, her Big West-best 12th of the season and 25th of her Wahine career. She then smacked a two-out double to score Rossi in the third.
UH’s final games of the season are on Friday and Saturday at Davis (21-28, 9-15).
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.