Baylor ace Heather Stearns struck out the last six batters she faced and the No. 21 Bears held off the University of Hawaii softball team’s comeback attempt in a 3-2 win tonight in the Outrigger Spring Fling Tournament at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Stearns, a first-team All-Big 12 selection last season, threw 21 of her 28 pitches for strikes in her third save of the season to hold down the Wahine, who saw a late-inning comeback fall just short for the second straight night.

Baylor took the lead in the first inning on Sarah Smith’s two-out, two-run double and added a Linsey Hays home run to lead off the fourth.

UH scored on a Keiki Carlos RBI single to score Sarah Muzik in the bottom of the first inning and closed to within a run in the sixth inning.

With UH trailing 3-1, Muzik walked to lead off the inning and advanced to third on two wild pitches. She was awarded home when Baylor reliever Kelsee Sellman was called for an illegal pitch to bring the Wahine to within a run.

After Nicole Lopez walked, Baylor coach Glenn Moore brought in Stearns, who hit Carlos with her first pitch. But she got the next three batters swinging to strand the runners and ended the night with three more strikeouts in the seventh.

After dropping their third in a row, the Wahine (12-12) take on North Dakota State on Friday at 6 p.m.