HONOLULU – When sophomore Karlee Sparacino blasted a two-out grand slam over the left center wall to close the first-inning, it was the go-ahead nod her fellow classmates needed to follow suit in California's final game at the Outrigger Resort Spring Fling Tournament.
 
The third baseman moved things to 5-0 and gave Cal (16-7) the boost it was searching for to go after its seventh-consecutive five-inning victory.
 
The 8-0 shutout of the Cougars (5-6) appeared in the bag early as Kamalani Dung, the Hawai'i native, wowed the local crowd, filled with her family and friends, throwing a one-hitter behind seven strikeouts in her final game near her hometown.
 
But it was the Bear's offense that kept the team on its notable run as sophomore Mikayla Coelho edged a homer that tipped out the left fielder's glove at the wall in the bottom of the second.
 
Lauren Espalin, a sophomore catcher who was the designated player on Saturday, put the Bears in run-rule territory with a two-run tape-measure shot through centerfield to deliver the final score in the fourth.
 
"It was the approach and mindset of the players that has made the difference," said associate head coach Tammy Lohmann, who is the hitting coach. "They were like a quiet storm this week, I'll tell you that. All of the credit goes to them for their focus and achievements."
 
Quiet may be an understatement as the Bears' opponents undoubtedly felt the sting of the teams collective 56 runs over the five-game stretch, especially since Cal only allowed three runs in that time.
 
Through the week the Bears offense averaged .485 at the plate, led by Coelho's .667 hitting percentage and 12 runs.
 
Senior Lindsay Rood who is at the top of the Pac-12 charts with a .494 overall batting average, .529 on base percentage, 39 hits, nine doubles, four triples and 16 stolen bases before today's game is sure to improve the ledger with this week's performance.
 
The shortstop went 11-for-17 (.647) over the five games, connecting for six doubles, a triple and a homer at the plate. She nabbed three bases and added nine runs.
 
Sparacino who's hitting has been picking up since a mid-preseason slump, led Cal with 11 RBI.
 
The week saw 12 different Bears cross the plate and the pitching staff went undefeated, including a no-hitter shutout from Zoe Conley on Friday.
 
"We had a magnificent week," said head coach Diane Ninemire. "We came to play softball and a lot of times when you're in Hawaii teams can lose focus with so many attractions. But we were focused and it showed. The offense came alive and I really thought our pitchers showed depth this week.

"We have a tough stretch coming up with conference play just around the corner, but this gives us some good momentum going in."
 
The Bears will play their home opener on Wednesday, March 13 with a doubleheader against Fairleigh Dickinson at 2 p.m. (PT) and 4:30 p.m. (PT) before heading to Salt Lake City to open conference play Friday, March 15 at 3 p.m. (PT) against Utah.
 
For more information on Cal softball, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalSB.