Weather-beaten Rainbow Wahine lose opener to UCSB; second game called
Mar. 21—On a wet and windy afternoon in Manoa, UC Santa Barbara blew past Hawaii on Saturday in a 7-0 win in the third game of their Big West softball series.
The first game of a scheduled doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium was delayed three times by heavy rain in Manoa and the visiting Gauchos avoided a sweep behind junior Emily Schuttish's three-hit shutout.
UH clinched the Big West series win with a sweep of Friday's doubleheader by 4-3 and 7-3 scores. UCSB bounced back on Saturday by jumping out to a 2-0 lead before a 95-minute delay and pulling away with a five-run fifth after play resumed to snap a six-game losing streak.
The series finale was called off in the top of the fourth inning with UH leading 9-0 after yet another downpour drenched the field. The game, which was designated a nonconference contest, will not count in the records.
"The first game we weren't the same team that we were yesterday, " UH coach Bob Coolen said. "We came out tentative, we played not to lose.
"(The Wahine ) made this the 'season of gratitude.' I call it a season of appreciation because I appreciate everyone that is allowing us to play. It's just a matter of every time they take the field they have to play as if it's their last game, like last year, you never know when it's going to come."
The start of Saturday's first game was delayed about a half hour after heavy showers rolled through Manoa shortly before the scheduled 2 p.m. first pitch.
UCSB went up in the top of the third when Sam Denehy reached on an error and scored when Madelyn McNally, the Big West's leading hitter, lined a double through the left-center gap. With one out, Maci Fines drove in Ashley Donaldson with a sacrifice fly to give the Gauchos a 2-0 lead.
The Gauchos broke away with a five-run fifth inning capped by Ally Nodohara's two-run opposite-field homer to left field.
After another 37-minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth, Schuttish gave up a double to Maya Nakamura but kept the Wahine off the scoreboard the rest of the way and improved to 4-4. Schuttish, who took the loss in Friday's opener when she gave up a homer to Nakamura in the bottom of the sixth, struck out two and walked two.
UH starter Jetta Nannen gave up two runs, one earned, in three innings and took the loss. Emily Klee took over after the lengthy mid-game delay and gave up three runs on four hits in the fifth. Dominique Martinez surrendered Nodohara's homer and finished out the game for the Wahine.
The Rainbow Wahine embark on their first road trip of the season this week and open a three-game series at Cal State Northridge on Friday.
