HONOLULU -- Second-year freshman Kenedi Brown scattered five hits and tied her career high of 12 strikeouts in recording her second shutout of the season, leading UC Davis to a 5-0 win over Hawai'i in Big West Conference women's softball action at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium Thursday night.

The Aggies improve to 18-23 for the season and 12-10 in conference play, gaining a half-game ahead of UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara for third in the Big West standings. The Rainbow Wahine fall to 11-18 overall and 10-12 in league games, falling from a tie for fourth to sixth place.

Five UC Davis batters had two hits apiece: center fielder Marissa Jauregui was 2-for-4 with a double, while shortstop Isabella Leon, left fielder Leah Polson, catcher Anna Dethlefson and third baseman Libbie McMahan each finished with a pair of singles. 

Brown held the Rainbow Wahine to just one hit in each of the second, third and fourth innings, then fanned the side in the bottom of the fifth. Right fielder Sarah Nakahara helped her teammate's cause with a diving snare in the fourth inning, while the light rainfall may have been just enough to keep Dallas Millwood's deep fly ball from leaving the park, instead resulting in a long single and a stranded runner in the fourth.

Meanwhile, UC Davis got on the board in the opening inning, when Leon and Jauregui found holes in the infield for a pair of singles, then Polson drove a liner to right field to score Sarah Starks, who reached on a force out. Dethlefson then drove a ball past the dive of Hawai'i second baseman Bueller Sabourin to bring home Jauregui, crafting a 2-0 lead before Brown could even step into the pitcher's circle.

The Aggies continued to pound out hits in the early innings, but had a potential rally halted by a spectacular double play by Wahine shortstop Nawai Kaupe in the second. Despite two more UC Davis runs, the 'Bows defense also figured heavily in the third. Brittnee Rossi robbed Jauregui of a home run on a deep drive to straightaway center, knocking the ball down to hold the UC Davis senior to a double. Starks scored on a Dethlefson hit to make it 3-0 for the Aggies, then Jauregui was gunned down by Hawai'i right fielder Maya Nakamura for a rare 9-2 double play. That erased would otherwise would have been a sacrifice fly for Bella Pahulu.

The Aggies then caught a break in that frame: McMahan popped out for what appeared to be the third out of the inning, only to discover that a timeout had been called before the pitch. The UH defense returned to its positions, McMahan remained at the plate, and ended up driving in Polson for the second run of the inning and the Aggies' fourth of the game.

While the Hawai'i defense may have contained the Aggies in the early innings, allowed UC Davis to extend the margin to 5-0 in the fifth. With two outs and the bases empty, the Wahine committed back-to-back errors in allowing two runners in scoring position, then Sommer Kisling's chopper into the middle of the infield brought Bella Pahulu in for a fifth tally.

Brown ran into her first hint of trouble in the sixth, issuing her only walk and allowing a single, but responded by punching out back-to-back batters for her ninth and 10th strikeouts of the game. Thursday's outing marked the fourth time she has struck out double-digit batters this season, and the fifth such game of her career.

The two teams continue the series with a Friday doubleheader at 5 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. Pacific. The games are televised on Spectrum Sports for those who live in that coverage area, while others may watch the telecast via the Big West TV live video stream.

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