OKLAHOMA CITY » Hawaii’s Traci Yoshikawa hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to give the Rainbow Wahine a 3-2 win over Missouri today in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.

Missouri center fielder Rhea Taylor’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Tigers the lead, but Yoshikawa answered in the seventh to send UH (50-14) into the winner’s bracket in UH’s first appearance in the WCWS.

“(Missouri pitcher Kristin Nottleman) was going outside all day and I just had to make an adjustment and threw my hands at the ball and as soon as I hit it I knew it was gone,” Yoshikawa said.

UH sophomore Stephanie Rickettsstruck out six and gave up six hits and earned a complete-game win.

“These games are just part of what we’re all about this year,” Hawaii head coach Bob Coolen said after the Wahine won on a seventh-inning homer for the second straight game. “And this year is special.

“If this is the way the world series is supposed to be tipped off, I’m glad we’re a part of the excitement.”

Hawaii will play UCLA tomorrow at 1 p.m. Hawaii time in the winner’s bracket. UCLA defeated Florida 16-3 in six innings in today’s second game.

Ricketts escaped an early jam when the Tigers loaded the bases with one out on a single and two walks. But she recovered to strike out Catherine Lee and Kathryn Poet to end the threat.

“One of the things that hurt us was that first inning,” Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine said. “We have bases loaded and one out and had two strikeouts back-to-back and that’s just unacceptable. Nothing against Hawaii, that girl was competing and doing what she needed to do to throw strikes but we should have put the ball in play.”

Alexandra Aguirre got UH on the board with a solo home run in the top of the second, belting a 2-2 pitch from Nottleman out to right center for her 12th of the season and UH’s 155th.

“Seeing it go over the fence is a big feeling of relief and it was, ‘we’re here, we’re making a statement, this is what we’re here to do,’” Aguirre said.

Missouri tied the game in the top of the third. Taylor reached on an infield single and went to second on a throwing error. She then came around on Nicole Hudson’s double to right.

Taylor then gave the Tigers their first lead with her eighth home run of the season as her opposite-field fly ball carried over the fence.

The Tigers maintained the lead going into the top of the seventh. Katie Grimes led off the a single to the right-center gap. Yoshikawa, the ninth-place hitter in the lineup, then hit a flyball that just cleared the fence in right center to give UH the lead.

Ricketts got Taylor to pop out to shortstop Jessica Iwata to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Aguirre made a diving catch on Jenna Marston’s flyball and Nicole Hudson’s popup to third baseman Melissa Gonzalez ended the game.

“There was no doubt we were going to come back, because we’ve come back all the time,” Ricketts said. “One through nine there’s always a chance of the ball flying out.”