High-powered Hawaii Offense Spoils Season Opener for Bears

Thursday, February 6

Manoa, HI

9 PM

University of Northern Colorado

0-1

Hawaii

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Northern Colorado

Hawaii

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

2/7/2020 12:27:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Northern Colorado dropped its first game of 2020 in five innings

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

MANOA, HI – Northern Colorado softball opened the 2020 season in the Paradise Classic, against host Hawai'i. The Rainbow Wahine defeated UNC 11-2, ending the game in the fifth inning.

The Bears scored first, as Mady Young came home on a Hawai'i error in the top of the first inning. The lead was short-lived, as the Rainbow Wahine exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshmen Lainey Hanehan, making her first career start in the circle, was knocked out of the game in the first inning. She was hit with six earned runs on six hits, allowing three walks to two-thirds innings of work. Maggie Thurston came out of the bullpen to relive Hanehan. Hawai'I was up, 9-1 after the first inning.

Thurston would turn in a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second, striking out one batter. The Rainbow Wahine would push two runs across in the bottom of the third on three hits. Hawai'i would leave the bases loaded against Thurston but had a 11-2 lead.

Down nine runs, UNC needed to score to keep the game going past the fifth inning.

In the top of the fifth, Alyssa Wenzel singled with two outs to give the Bears a needed base runner. Young would single in the next at bat and Wenzel advanced to third base.

Emma Brockmann stepped up to the plate and singled through the left side to bring Wenzel into score. UNC cut the lead to 11-2. Young and Brockmann would advance to second and third respectively on a wild pitch. Hawai'i would close out the game with a strikeout following the wild pitch.

UNC dropped the season opener, 11-2 with Hanehan taking the loss. Isabella Dino earned the win after pitching five innings, with no earned runs, four strikeouts and four hits allowed.

Game Notes

Lainey Hanehan made her first career start on Thursday for UNC. Freshman Erin Caviness made her first career appearance for the Bears, pitching a perfect inning with one strikeout.
Alyssa Wenzel recorded her first career hit, going 1-fo-3 on the day.
Paola Villegas, Reyna Caudillo and Brandi Haller all made their career debuts for UNC at the plate.
Mady Young has now started 110 consecutive games for UNC.

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado will play two games tomorrow afternoon, starting against Iowa State at 3 p.m.(MST). UNC will then play Memphis at 5:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the finish of the first game.