HONOLULU (March 18, 2023) – After winning the first game of the series, the UC Santa Barbara Softball team (14-10) dropped both games to Hawaii in a doubleheader. The middle inning proved costly in both games for the Gauchos as Hawai’i scored nine of its 14 runs in the third, fourth or fifth innings.
GAME 1: GAUCHOS 5, HAWAI’I 9
The Gauchos jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after scoring three runs in the first inning to start the game. UCSB added another run in the fourth to take a four-run lead. Malaya Johnson kept Hawaii’s offense at bay as long as she could, but UH scored five in the fourth and came back four in the fifth to take a 9-5 lead. UC Santa Barbara failed to capitalize on potential scoring opportunities in Game 6 and fell in Game 1 of the doubleheader.
GAME 2: GAUCHOS 0, HAWAI’I 5
In the rubber match of the series, the Gaucho attack ran out of steam. Both teams were held scoreless in the first two innings before UH broke the tie in the bottom of the third inning. After not recording a run in the fifth inning, the Gauchos were down two and looked to tie the game in the sixth, but fell short. UH took advantage and rallied for three runs in the sixth to go on to a 5-0 victory.
NEXT
Big West play will continue for UCSB as they travel to San Diego, California to take on UC San Diego in a three-game set. The Gauchos and Tritons will open their series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 26.
