Markie Okamoto ripped a two-run double in the top of the seventh to help the UH-Hilo softball team erase a 4-0 deficit for a 6-4 win over Texas A&M on Thursday at the Cactus Classic in Arizona.
The Vulcans, who lost earlier in the day to Western New Mexico 5-2, improved to 2-5.
UHH trailed 4-0 through four innings and didn’t get its first hit until the fifth. Ruby Salzmar hit a grand slam in the second inning.
West Texas A&M pitcher Kyra Lair had a no-hitter through four innings.
In the fifth, Brinell Kaleikini had UHH’s first hit. Skylar Thomas followed with a walk, and Kamalei Labasan hit an RBI double to cut the score to 4-1.
In the sixth, Kiarra Lincoln led off with a solo homer, and Lair was chased after she hit Kaleikini. Thomas walked and Vesesi Liilii had an RBI single to make it 4-3.
The momentum switch came in the seventh when Labasan walked and Lincoln singled, and Labasan had a run-scoring single to tie it 4-4.
Then Okamoto hit a two-run double for the 6-4 margin.
Leah Gonzales went the distance for the win. She gave up five hits, four walks and fanned five.
On Friday, the Vuls play Southern Nazarene and St. Mary’s Texas.
In the first game of the day, UHH pounded out seven hits but fell to Western New Mexico 5-2.
Valerie Alvarado went five innings, gave up four runs on five hits and five walks and whiffed five in the loss.
Gonzales pitched two innings of one-run relief.
Kim Olivas and Chloe Domingo had two hits each for the Vulcans.
Kristin Cooke pitched six innings for the win.
