Behind the bat of Delaina Ma’ae and the arm of Sophia Clark, the UC Santa Barbara Softball team secured a 4-0 victory over the University of Hawai’i on Friday.
The win was highlighted by two home runs from Ma’ae and a complete-game shutout from Clark, who allowed only five hits over seven innings.
Following minimal offense through the first two innings, Delaina Ma’ae put the Gauchos on the board with a solo home run to center field, giving the Gauchos a 1-0 lead.
After Clark pitched out of a jam in the top half of the fourth, Ainsley Waddell doubled to left field, followed by Emily Carr following with an RBI double down the left-field line, bringing Waddell home and extending the lead to 2-0.
The Gauchos continued their momentum in the fifth inning with Dani Rauscher singling, followed by a ground-rule RBI double by Giselle Mejia, which increased the lead to 3-0. In the sixth inning, Ma’ae hit her second home run of the game, a solo shot to left field, sealing the score at 4-0.
Sophia Clark pitched her second complete game shutout of the season, allowing just five hits and striking out three, as the Gauchos earned the 4-0 win over the Rainbow Wahine.
UC Santa Barbara and Hawai’i will finish the three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.