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If it was up to Jocelyn Alo, she would have set the NCAA career home run record by now.
Nonetheless, the stage is set for a pretty memorable Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The two-time Star-Advertiser All-State Position Player of the Year returned home this week with No. 1 Oklahoma and opened the Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Classic with a 12-3 victory over Baylor on Thursday.
The 2017 Campbell High graduate went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and three RBIs, but remained tied for the NCAA career record in home runs with 95.
She’ll have two chances to break the mark today. The Sooners (17-0) will play California at 3:30 p.m. before turning right around and playing host Hawaii at 6.
“I have a lot of really good emotions, but it’s a full-circle moment for sure,” Alo said after her first game at the stadium since 2017, when she won a second consecutive state title with the Sabers.
Alo, who led the nation in on-base percentage with a .661 clip entering Thursday’s game against the Bears, singled in the first inning, hit a bases-clearing double during an eight-run second inning and walked in the fourth.
She lined out to first base for the second out in the top of the fifth.
The game was called after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Oklahoma has won 13 of its 17 games by mercy rule.
Alo has now gone eight games without homering since tying the mark held by another Sooner, Lauren Chamberlain, who did it in 220 games. Alo has played in 222 games.
“Honestly, I wish I did it sooner just so I could get this over with,” Alo said. “Definitely I am trying to cherish this for sure, and even better I (hopefully) get to do it in front of my home state.”
Alo hit a school-record 34 homers to lead the NCAA in 2021 and was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Through 17 games this season, Alo is hitting .488 with seven homers and 23 RBIs.
In the final game of her high school career, Alo walked in all four plate appearances and was never thrown a strike in a 2-0 win over Mililani.
Alo also won a state wrestling title at 184 pounds as a Kahuku sophomore before transferring to Campbell.
The team had travel issues flying to Oahu on Tuesday after beating Minnesota on Monday evening. The Sooners still had enough time Wednesday to visit Alo’s hometown in Hau’ula and speak to a group of young softball players.
A video of an emotional Alo giving a speech on social media went viral after it was picked up by ESPN.
“It was pretty cool. I never thought that I would do something like that but I got to and I know that those words will stick with them forever,” she said.
California 5, Hawaii 0
Golden Bears sophomore Sona Halajian struck out nine in a five-hit shutout and added a three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to lead Cal over the Rainbow Wahine.
Tatum Anzaldo had three hits and scored a run and Kacey Zobac went 3-for-4 with a home run and scored twice for the Bears (17-6), who improved to 2-0 in the tournament.
Haley Johnson had a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the seventh inning for the only extra-base hit for UH (5-7), which is 0-2 in the tournament and has lost 19 straight games to Power Five opponents dating back to 2017.
Hawaii will play No. 1 Oklahoma in the last of three games today at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Source: Star
