HONOLULU – Santa Clara softball dropped both games on Friday at the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament, losing to Utah 7-2 in the mid-afternoon contest before falling to tournament host, Hawai'i, 6-3 in walk-off fashion.
GAME 1: Utah 7 - Santa Clara 2
The top third of the Utah lineup drove in all seven runs, including a three-run home run by Ellessa Bonstrom in the opening frame, to cruise to a 7-2 win.
Haley Denning, Aliya Belarde and Bonstrom combined to go 5-for-10 with four runs from the 1-2-3 spot.
Facing Broncos starter Regan Dias in the first, with Denning and Belarde aboard on an error and a walk, Bonstrom hit a home run to quickly put Utah up 3-0.
Santa Clara (6-10) got a run back in the top of the second when Lauren LaHood went deep with a solo shot. It was her third home run in the last five games for the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
The Utes (12-4) added a pair of runs in the second and also in the fourth with Aliya Belarde driving in three of the runs to make it 7-2.
Mariah Lopez started in the circle for Utah and went 3 2/3 innings and was responsible for both runs given up. Sydney Sandez (6-1) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win.
Dias (0-2) gave up seven runs, five earned, on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings and took the loss.
Ashley Trierweiler reached base in each of her four plate appearances with a three walks and a single. LaHood scored both runs for the Broncos.
GAME 2: Hawai'i 6 - Santa Clara 3
Ka'ena Keliinoi hit a three-run walk-off home run as Hawai'i rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Santa Clara 6-3.
Hawai'i (11-6) trailed 3-2 heading into the home half of the seventh but put two runners on base on a walk and single off Broncos starter Hazyl Gray. Xiao Gin doubled in a run to tie the game up 3-all before the walk-off homer.
Gray (3-3) pitched admirably giving up five hits and two runs through the first six innings before running into trouble in the fateful seventh. The freshman lefty finished with a line of eight hits, six runs, four walked and four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Santa Clara (6-11) battled throughout the game, tying up the game at 2-all in the sixth on Allyson Ferreira's solo homer and went up by a run in the seventh when Ashley Trierweiler also went deep.
Ferreira and Trierweiler finished with two hits each.
Key-an Campbell-Pua (4-2) went the distance for Hawai'i and allowed six hits, three runs, walked two and struck out four over seven innings to pick up the win.
NOTES
- Freshman Mariah Montalvo got her first starting nod at third base in the first game and recorded her first hit.
NEXT UP
On Saturday, Santa Clara plays St. Bonaventure at noon followed by Niagara at 2 p.m. PT. in the third day of the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament but the final day of play for the Broncos.
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