USU Stymied By Hawai’i Perfect Game In 6-0 Loss Friday

HONOLULU, Hawai’i — Rainbow Wahine freshman pitcher Justine Smethurst fireda perfect game in silencing the Utah State Aggie bats, as Hawai’i blankedUtah State, 6-0, Friday night in WAC softball action at UH’s Rainbow WahineSoftball Stadium in the first game of the three-game weekend series.

USU falls to 7-37 overall and 2-13 in WAC play entering Saturday’sdoubleheader to wrap up the series and the Aggies’ season. UH improved to26-19 overall and 8-6 in WAC action, snapping a five-game WAC losing skid.The Rainbow Wahine are battling for the third seed in the six-team WACTournament.

Smethurst tallied six strikeouts in sending down the Aggies in order torecord her second perfect game of the year and the fourth for the UHpitching staff. With the win, Smethurst improves to 13-10 overall, as sheentered the game ranking second in the WAC in ERA and fourth in strikeouts.

Utah State’s Heather Straight took the loss in the circle, falling to 6-12,after yielding nine hits while allowing three earned runs, while chalking upone strikeout and four walks.

The Rainbow Whine came into the contest leading the conference in home runsand belted back-to-back round-trippers in the fourth, part of a four-runinning to take a 4-0 lead. UH plated two more runs in the sixth for thefinal scoring.

The Aggie defense committed two errors, both of which led to Rainbow Wahineruns.

USU’s Sara Fleming had her six-game hitting streak stopped.

UH now leads the all-time series, 19-15, as Friday was the first meetingbetween the Aggies and Rainbow Wahine since 1998.

The two teams return to the diamond Saturday at 5 p.m. Mountain Time forthe doubleheader to conclude the series in the Aggies’ final games of theseason.