Box Score
HONOLULU - Freshman pitcher
Justine Smethurst threw a perfect game in Hawai`i's opening game of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational, defeating Longwood, 6-0. Smethurst threw 7.0 innings, striking out six while retiring all 21 batters in a row. Head coach
Bob Coolen picked up his 600th career win with tonight's victory at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Hawai`i (13-10) broke a scoreless game open in the bottom of the fourth, posting four runs. Freshman third baseman Clare Warwick led the inning off with a single to the shortstop. Sophomore leftfielder Brandi Peiler then hit a hard shot behind the runner that went off the Longwood first baseman into rightfield. Junior first baseman Tyleen Tausaga then ripped a double to the left-center gap to score Wariwick from second, and moving Peiler to third. Two batters later, shortstop Valana Manuma hit a ground ball to short that scored Peiler from third. Tausaga then scored on a wild pitch with catcher Kristi Yoshizawa at the plate. Yoshizawa then hit a ball down the leftfield line past a diving leftfielder for a triple. Designated player Gail Matsushima drew a walk to put runners at the corners. They then executed a double steal with Matsushima baiting the throw to second to allow Yoshizawa to score from third to push the score to 4-0.
In the fifth, UH added two more runs. Warwick, again, started things off by walking with one out. Peiler followed with a single to center. Tausaga then hit a hard ground ball to the second baseman who got the force at second, placing runners at the corners with two outs. Centerfielder Kaulana Gould then hit a two-run single, scoring both Warwick and Tausaga, making the score 6-0.
Smethurst is now 6-5 on the year with a 2.43 ERA. She's thrown 72.0 innings with nine complete games. This was her first shut out of the season.
Leading Hitters:
Warwick: 1-2, two runs scored
Tausaga: 1-3, two runs scored, double
Gould: 1-3, two RBI
Yoshizawa: 1-3, triple
The Rainbow Wahine now face San Diego State (14-6)in the final game of the day.
-UH-
