Opening weekend was a study in symmetry for the University of Hawaii softball team.
The Rainbow Wahine pulled out two tight wins on Friday then opened Saturday’s doubleheader with a blowout victory in a 3-0 start to the Paradise Classic.
Fortune quickly flipped with a run-rule loss in Saturday’s second game, and when UH fell short against Utah Tech and Saint Mary’s on Sunday, the Rainbow Wahine ended the week even at .500 through six games.
“We gave it our all in the first three games,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “The last three games we weren’t there.”
Utah Tech shortstop and Kamehameha-Maui graduate Lauren Almeida’s two-run home run in the third inning of Sunday’s opener held up in the Trailblazers’ 2-1 win on a breezy morning at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Saint Mary’s, which lost to UH 16-2 on Saturday, capped the weekend with a 5-1 victory in the tournament finale behind Kailey O’Connor’s complete-game performance.
The Rainbow Wahine will take the experiences of the weekend into their first road trip of the season and will play five games over three days in the UNLV Desert Classic starting Friday in Las Vegas.
“Every game there’s something new to learn, whether it’s a win or a lesson, as I like to say,” said UH left fielder Mya’Liah Bethea. “We were glad to get on the field because any experience that we can get goes a long way for sure.”
On an otherwise quiet day for the Hawaii offense, Bethea and Haley Johnson continued to make statements early in the season.
Bethea entered the season with two home runs in her first two years in the program. She belted her third of the tournament on Sunday with a shot to left field in the bottom of the fifth against Utah Tech. Her blast accounted for UH’s lone run against Utah Tech freshman Suaren Garton, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher.
“It was just a change in mentality, ‘I am going to go after the ball,’ and that was her approach,” Coolen said of Bethea’s offensive outburst. “I’m going to attack and not be a passive hitter. I’m going to be an aggressive hitter.”
Johnson led the Wahine with a .438 batting average over the weekend, going 7-for-16 with a go-ahead two-run triple in UH’s win over Utah Tech on Friday. She extended her hot start with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth against Saint Mary’s on Sunday.
Johnson, Bethea, second baseman Maya Nakamura (.364) and Rachel “Bueller” Sabourin represented UH on the all-tournament team. Sabourin went 4-for-6 with two home runs in her four appearances off the bench.
UH sophomore Brianna Lopez closed the weekend at 2-1 after taking the loss against Utah Tech on Sunday. The left-hander allowed four hits, just one after Almeida’s homer in the third, and posted a 1.56 earned-run average in the tournament.
Saint Mary’s pieced together a four-run fifth inning against UH freshman Key-annah Campbell-Pua to take control of the finale. The rally included two squeeze bunts, one by Mid-Pacific graduate Marissa Nishihara.
Aside from the one rough inning, “I thought Key did a good job,” Coolen said. “Bri did a good job. (Freshman) Millie (Fidge) is starting to come around. Now we just need to establish some other pitchers that we’re taking on the road.”
Utah Tech center fielder Tanya Windle was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after hitting .438, but her defense was the difference against UH on Sunday. After Nakamura walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Dallas Millwood lifted a high fly to center field. Windle reached above the fence to make the catch and protect the lead for the Trailblazers. Utah Tech left fielder and Baldwin alumna LB Kahahawai-Kekona was also named to the all-tournament team.
