Two mistake pitches and seven innings of befuddled hitting doomed the University of Hawai'i softball team to a 3-0 loss to DePaul yesterday in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Hawai'i Paradise Classic.

Despite winning their first four games of the season — their best start in nine years — the Rainbow Wahine (4-1) will play in today's 10 a.m. third-place game at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

They face the winner of the 8 a.m. game between Auburn and Nebraska.

For the Rainbows, it unraveled in the third inning, when Justine Smethurst threw a screwball that did not break and a drop-pitch that did not descend. Kate Sheaks powered the screwball over the center-field fence. The next batter, Sandy Vojik, slammed a line drive over the left-field fence and onto the roof netting of the bullpen.

Both homers came on 3-2 pitches.

"It was a bit disappointing," Smethurst said. "Two hits. Two home runs. What do you do? That was a bit unfortunate. That's the game."

In five innings, Smethurst relinquished four hits and a walk. She did not have a strikeout.

During Friday's round-robin game between the teams, the Rainbows won, 1-0, with Kate Robinson keeping her pitches down and away. But last night, UH coach Bob Coolen said Smethurst "got the ball up, and (the Blue Demons are) capable of hitting long bombs, and that's what they did. We got out-hit 5-4, but we got out-scored 3-0."

The Rainbows managed to play well in their first four games despite dependable hitting from only their 2-3-4 batters — centerfielder Tanisha Milca, catcher Kaulana Gould and designated player Tyleen Tausaga.

But Coolen has not been able to find a consistent leadoff hitter, and his bottom-of-the-order batters are struggling.

"I have three solid players," Coolen said. "That's it. That's 2, 3, 4. I need everybody else to step it up."

Tausaga, who is playing with a torn meniscus in her left knee, had three of the Rainbows' four hits. Tausaga's line drive in the seventh was the only UH base hit that went past the infield.

Tracie Adix, a 5-foot-11 righthander, allowed four hits and struck out seven.

"Everything seemed to be working really well," said Adix, who improved to 2-0. "The inside corner was working, like, really well. I kept them off-balance throwing inside and outside. I was really relaxed, and it worked really well."

Adix said she relied on two pitches: a drop curve and a spiraling fastball.

"(The fastball) kind of has a drop to it, because I pull up on it," Adix said. "It has a natural drop. I was going back and forth between those two."

The Blue Demons scored their third run when Amber Patton singled to open the fifth, advanced to second on an error, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on a passed ball.