Hawaii freshman Nicole Lopez broke out of a lull to power the Rainbow Wahine softball team to a comeback victory over Utah Valley on Sunday in the final game of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational.

Lopez made progressively better contact in each of her three plate appearances on Sunday and her go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning powered the Rainbow Wahine to a 6-4 win over the Wolverines.

“I just saw it out in front,” Lopez said. “I’ve been kind of slumping and I wasn’t really confident with my swing. I was just looking to hit the ball.”

The Rainbow Wahine fell behind twice against the Wolverines before Lopez’s third home run of the season gave UH its first lead of the afternoon. Kanani Aina Cabrales earned her third win of the tournament in a relief appearance and the Wahine closed the weekend at 4-1 in the tournament and 10-7 overall after rallying for the second straight win over Utah Valley (4-12).

The Wahine scratched out three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday to edge UVU 4-3 and Lopez’s home run on Sunday highlighted another rally.

“We’re adding a little character, we’re realizing we can muster some runs late,” UH coach Bob Coolen said.

Lopez, the All-State player of the year at Mid-Pacific in 2014, has started all 17 games at third base and went 5-for-9 in her first three games of the season. She was hitting .310 after driving in three runs in a win over Wichita State on Feb. 19, but went 3-for-21 over the next seven leading into Sunday’s rematch with Utah Valley.

She began the day by lining a single to shallow left field. She then drove in UH’s first run of the game in the third inning with a line drive to center field that forced UVU’s Morgan Smith to make a leaping snag, allowing Breanna Ojala to score from third.

After UVU broke a 2-2 tie on Brittney Vansway’s two-run double in the top of the fifth, Lopez came up with Ojala and Sarah Muzik on base and hammered a pitch into the netting beyond the fence in left-center to push UH ahead.

“My first at-bat I made contact, but it wasn’t solid,” Lopez said. “But after the second at-bat I knew I was going to be on it and swung.”

UH added a run in the sixth on Naomi Monahan’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly to score Tayana Mata and Aina Cabrales retired the Wolverines in order in the seventh. She allowed four hits, struck out three and walked none to improve to 6-2.

“That was a good team effort and everyone contributed whether it was sacrificing themselves or anything,” Lopez said.

The Wahine next will play host to Coastal Carolina and Stanford in the three-day Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament starting Friday.

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

Kellee Ramsey, Bailey Moore (5) and Kori Barios. Brittany Hitchcock, Kanani Aina Cabrales (5) and Heather Cameron. W—Aina Cabrales. L—Ramsey.
Leading hitters—Utah Valley: Brianna Gatlin, 2-4, 2B, RBI; Morgan Smith, 2-4, RBI; Brittney Vansway, 2B, 2 RBIs; Dynasty Lauvai, 2-3; Jaymee Lawton, 2-3. Hawaii: Nicole Lopez, 2-2, HR, 4 RBI; Heather Morales, 2-3; Naomi Monahan, RBI; Breanna Ojala, 2-3, 2B.

Sunday’s early game
Portland State 4, Utah Valley 3