Three weeks ago, the Hawaii softball team took the first meeting with one of its chief conference rivals, only to see Long Beach State sweep a doubleheader the next day to take the series.

At defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton this weekend, the same result was in play heading into the final innings at Anderson Family Field.

The Titans had responded from UH’s series-opening 11-6 win Friday with a 5-0 blanking of the Rainbow Wahine in Saturday’s first game. CSUF held a one-run lead entering the seventh inning of the nightcap.

“I think Fullerton thought they had the series wrapped up,” UH coach Bob Coolen told Spectrum News in a phone interview.

This time, an improbable hero, third-string right fielder Larissa Goshi, came up in a big spot. The junior from Chino Hills, Calif., led off the inning with a slap to third and reached base on what was ruled an error on the Titans, launching a five-run frame for the Rainbow Wahine in a 6-2 win to take the game and the series.

Goshi officially went 2-for-3, although Coolen felt she should’ve been credited with a hit on the play to go 3-for-3 on the day. UH said it is contesting the ruling as she was well on her way to the bag when CSUF fielded it.

“She was the woman of the hour,” Coolen said. “She was hitting the ball. She got a rally going, made a couple of catches in right field, and she ended up (fielding) the last out of the game and she got the game ball for us.”

UH entered the weekend with 12 straight losses at CSUF. It left with its first series win there since 2015, and just third in 11 all-time conference road sets against this BWC traditional power dating back to 1986.

Catcher Izzy Martinez, a native of Garden Grove in Orange County, brought a 25-person family contingent wearing rainbow wigs that helped make the Wahine feel at home, Coolen said.

The last time UH took a series from Fullerton anywhere was at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in 2022.

Coolen credited ace Addison Kostrencich (11-7) for keeping a level head and picking up her second win of the weekend. The senior retired the Titans in order in the bottom of the seventh on two flyouts and a strikeout.

“Addie realized she had to keep the ball down, had to change speeds a lot more than she did in the first game, and we just had to stay in the game,” Coolen said. “I felt as though we would be able to hit any of their pitchers, and we did.”

Liliana Thomas had a two-run double, Millie Fidge followed with a two-run single and Chloe Borges added an RBI knock.

Coolen was buoyed by the result and feels his team is set up well in the league. In a change from recent years, UH has already faced some of its toughest on-paper competition in the first half of conference play.

The Wahine (20-13, 6-5 Big West) are in fifth place with UC Riverside (15-20, 6-6) headed to RWSS this weekend.

The top six teams qualify for the inaugural Big West tournament at CSUF in May. Through four of nine BWC series, the Titans (20-14, 7-5) are in fourth, behind UC Santa Barbara (9-3), CSUN (8-3) and LBSU (8-4).

“If we keep believing that we can win any ballgame, no matter what the deficit, whatever we do, we just got to have our pitching … spot on,” Coolen said.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.