Making only her second start of the season, the right-hander from Australia pitched a five-hitter in a 4-0 win for Hawai'i, which averted getting swept in the crucial Western Athletic Conference series between the top two teams.

In the opener of yesterday's doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, Christina Clark set a conference record by hitting three home runs in the No. 13 Bulldogs' 5-2 win. Her 18 home runs of the season — five coming in this series alone — is an on-going FSU single-season record.

The Bulldogs (9-1 WAC, 36-13 overall) hold a three-game lead over the defending WAC champion Rainbows (5-3, 23-22).

"For me, I felt relaxed and calm," said Blanning, who made three starts last year, including a 7-1 win at Fresno State. "It's so easy when you're fielding that well and your hitters are hitting."

Blanning (1-2), who walked two, induced 10 ground outs and four infield pop outs to go along with her three strikeouts in her first complete game of the season. The most important thing was denying the Bulldogs the long ball. They had 10 home runs in their three wins in the series.

"We wanted ground balls and let the infield do their thing," said UH catcher Denise Dahlberg, who hit her team-leading sixth home run in the first inning.

Blanning pitched out of several jams. Second baseman Noelle Izumi turned a grounder into a force at third to nail the lead runner in the first inning, and she made a nice stab of a line drive in the fourth with runners at first and second with one out.

Blanning's biggest challenge came in the top of the sixth, when the Bulldogs had runners at second and third with one out. With the infield drawn in, Blanning got Mitzi Ing to ground out to short to hold the runners before striking out Rachael Green to end the inning.

The Rainbows gave Blanning some breathing room with three runs in the bottom of the sixth against FSU starter Laura Ferreira (8-5). Tyleen Tausaga's fielder's choice grounder to Ferreira scored one run, while Izumi's two-run double to left-center made it 4-0.

Ferreira was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

After Clark's first-game home run barrage, Blanning basically kept the ball away from FSU's home run and RBI (42) leader, who bats in the lead-off spot. Clark went 1 for 4 (single).

"We were setting up the outside corner, trying to hit the corners of the plate," Blanning said. "I didn't want to walk her, but I wasn't going to pitch her fat if I had three balls on her. But we were going after her."

Blanning got the starting assignment after her 3á scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 7-0 loss. Which game she pitched was predicated on which one FSU used ace Jamie Southern (25-5), who allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in the opener.

"I thought we might not see Southern all four games," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "That was our thought process as a coaching staff, so we went with Blanning second, rather than going Blanning (in both games) and burn her out. I wanted one win at least. Two (wins) would've been a big time bonus for us."

In the opener, Clark drilled the first pitch of the game from UH starter Melissa Coogan about 250 feet. But UH got two bloop singles and two bleeders for singles when it scored two to take the lead.

But Clark tied the game with a solo home run to right in the fifth and gave FSU the lead with a two-run shot to left in the seventh. An out later, Nichole Willis' solo home run to center make it 5-2.

"It was just one of those things," Clark said of her home run tear. "I'm just seeing the ball well."

Coogan (8-12) was charged with five runs on eight hits and four walks with eight strikeouts for UH.

"We're the top two teams in our conference," Clark said of the importance of winning the series. "Coming here and winning three is very important, just knowing we have that lead going into the rest of our conference games."

For the Rainbows, postseason might be difficult with an overall record hovering at the .500 mark because winning the WAC would require an FSU collapse, which is unlikely for a team with Southern.

For UH, salvaging one helps ease the Rainbows' minds.

"It helps us in that it keeps us over .500," Coolen said. "It keeps us in a positive mind frame.