UC Davis’s two-run first inning gave freshman Kenedi Brown more than enough breathing room in the Aggies’ 5-0 win over the University of Hawaii softball team on Thursday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
A pair of two-out singles gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead before Brown threw her first pitch on a misty night in Manoa and the 6-foot-2 right-hander stifled the Rainbow Wahine offense in the opener of the Big West series.
Brown worked in an effective changeup and held the Wahine to five singles, walked one, and tied a season high with 12 strikeouts in her fourth double-digit performance of the season.
“The (UC Davis) pitching coach did a good job of keeping us off balance,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “She was in command, she did a nice job at putting the ball outside, mixing the off-speed, going up (in the strike zone) sometimes. She did a good job.”
UH freshman Jetta Nannen gave up 13 hits, struck out five and walked three in the complete-game loss.
The Rainbow Wahine close the season with today’s senior night doubleheader with the Aggies starting at 5 p.m. at RWSS.
UH had lost eight in a row in series with conference leaders Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton over the past two weekends and the Wahine again struggled early in Thursday’s loss.
UC Davis jumped ahead in the top of the first on four singles, with Leah Polson driving in the game’s first run with a two-out line drive into right field. Anna Dethlefson’s grounder found a hole through the right side to score Marissa Jauregui from third and give UC Davis a 2-0 lead.
“It’s been our MO since the Long Beach series — we can’t get out of the first inning,” Coolen said. “Jetta started pitching after the third inning. She started bringing the ball, hitting her spots, doing a better job. But the first three innings she was not hitting her spots, aiming the ball, and that’s something she needs to work on and it will come in time as she matures.”
The Aggies threatened again in the second, but UH shortstop Nawai Kaupe fielded a chopper up the middle, stepped on second and fired to first for an inning-ending double play.
The first three UC Davis hitters of the third inning reached base on a single by Sarah Starks, Jauregui’s double just out of the reach of UH center fielder Brittnee Rossi and a walk. Dethlefson’s chopper bounced out of UH third baseman Cheeks Ramos’ glove to push UC Davis’ lead to 3-0.
Nannen got more defensive help on a flyout to right fielder Maya Nakamura, who then threw out Polson at the plate. The inning appeared to end on a pop-up to Kaupe, but the third base umpire had called time out prior to the pitch, negating the out and extending the inning. Given new life, Libbie McMahan singled through the left side to drive in UCD’s fourth run.
UC Davis converted a two-out error in the top of fifth into another run, with Bella Pahulu, who reached on the error, eventually scoring on Sommer Kisling’s infield single.
UH put together its first threat with one out in the bottom of the sixth when Ramos reached on an infield single and Kaupe drew Brown’s first walk. But Brown snuffed the rally with her ninth and 10th strikeouts.
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
UC Davis (18-23, 12-10) 202 010 0 — 5 13 0
Hawaii (11-18, 10-12) 000 000 0 — 0 5 2
Kenedi Brown and Anna Dethlefson. Jetta Nannen and Ka’ena Keliinoi, Mya’Liah Bethea (4). W—Brown. L—Nannen.
Leading hitters—UC Davis: Sommer Kislnig, RBI; Isabella Leon, 2-4; Marissa Jauregui, 2-4, 2B; Leah Polson, 2-3, RBI; Dethlefson, 2-4, 2 RBIs; Libbie McMahan, 2-4, RBI.
