Pitching was a concern for Hawaii softball coach Bob Coolen heading into Friday’s Big West season opener at UC Santa Barbara.

His fears proved justified.

The Rainbow Wahine jumped out to a five-run lead, but starter Addison Kostrencich and reliever Millie Fidge were rocked in the fourth inning as the Gauchos surged from behind for an 11-9 win at UCSB’s Campus Diamond.

Kostrencich, a transfer from Long Beach State, put up zeroes in the first three innings as UH went up 5-0 on a two-run double by Izzy Martinez and a bases-loaded walk by Chloe Borges in the first, followed by a two-run homer by Mya’Liah Bethea in the third. Bethea leads the team with six long balls.

But the Gauchos (7-15) jumped on Kostrencich in the fourth with a pair of home runs from Jazzy Santos and Ashley Donaldson to tie it up. Coolen summoned reliever Millie Fidge, but the Australian immediately gave up a walk and two-run homer by Emily Carr. After three straight singles allowed, Coolen called upon Kostrencich to return to the circle. She gave up an additional RBI single before UH got out of the inning.

UCSB tacked on two more runs in the fifth before UH (7-15) staged a rally. Maya Nakamura’s two-run single, followed by a two-run shot from Dallas Millwood, brought the Wahine within two.

Xiao Gin hit a two-out single in the top of the seventh before Camryn Snyder got Ka‘ena Keliinoi to fly out to center to end it.

Emily McCoskey (2-0) got the win in going 5 1/3 innings for the Gauchos while Snyder got the save. Fidge (2-3) was tagged with the loss for UH.

Nakamura went 3-for-3 to raise her average to .300. Martinez went 3-for-4.

It was the fourth straight year that UH opened conference play against UCSB. The teams are to play a doubleheader starting at 9 a.m. Hawaii time.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.