Thinking back to positive memories helped Rachel Lack create a few more on Sunday.
Prior to taking the field, the Hawaii sophomore and her teammates went through a visualization exercise to prepare for the Rainbow Wahine softball team’s matchup against Coastal Carolina.
“I just tried to remember good hits I’ve had in the past and tried to stay loose and watch the ball and hit the ball,” Lack said.
Lack’s day went just about as she envisioned. She drove in a career-high five runs in UH’s 8-4 win to close the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
“Today we had a little bit more of a bounce in our step.”
Bob Coolen
UH softball coach
Lack drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning then hit a two-run homer to center in the fifth. She came up with the bases loaded in the sixth and drilled a single up the middle to score UH’s final two runs.
“We tried visualizing a lot of plays and a lot of at-bats and tried to stay calm and tried to have a positive presence all the time,” Lack said. “The whole team vibe was positive and that feeds through everyone.”
UH senior Keiki Carlos preceded Lack’s blast in the fifth by leading off the inning with her first home run of the season. The power surge gave freshman pitcher Jennifer Iseri a cushion after Coastal Carolina had closed to 3-2 on two solo homers in the top of the fifth.
With Brittany Hitchcock resting a sore back, Iseri got her second start of the tournament and earned her second complete-game win over CCU (8-12). She gave up eight hits struck out two and walked none and UH (12-9) rebounded from a run-rule loss to Stanford on Saturday to finish the tournament at 2-2.
“Today we had a little bit more of a bounce in our step,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “There was a different resolve today.”
Lack, who started 10 of the first 11 games at catcher, sat out of UH’s last tournament due to a hand injury and went 0-for-5 in her first two appearances this weekend before Sunday’s breakout in the designated player spot.
“I think it was better that I was in DP because I could just focus on hitting alone,” she said.
UH hadn’t hit a home run in the tournament until Carlos’ shot down the left-field line in the fifth inning hit the foul pole for her 21st career homer.
“I thought it was going foul,” Carlos said, “but we did a great job hitting today. … We were consistent with our hits and Jen did a great job on the mound. Good team win.”
The Wahine have a day off before facing Coastal Carolina again in a stand-alone game on Tuesday. They then open the four-day Chevron Spring Fling against California on Wednesday.
“We’ll be busy until spring break, but we love it,” Carlos said. “That’s why we’re here.”
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Coastal Carolina (8-12) |
000 |
201 |
1 |
— |
4 |
8 |
1 |
Hawaii (12-9) |
012 |
032 |
x |
— |
8 |
11 |
1 |
Taylor Rahach, Ashley Guillette (4), Mackenzie Conrad (6) and Morgan Noad. Jennifer Iseri and Heather Cameron. W—Iseri. L—Rahach.
Leading hitters—Coastal Carolina: Noad, 2-3, HR; Kelsey Dominik, 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Annie Robinson, HR. Hawaii: Sarah Muzik, 2-4, 2B; Nicole Lopez, 2-4, 2B, RBI; Keiki Carlos, 2-3, HR; Rachel Lack, 2-2, HR, 5 RBIs; Rachael Turner, 2-3, RBI.
Sunday’s early game
Stanford 8, Coastal Carolina 7