Box Score

FRESNO, Calif - Hawai`i rallied from a 0-3 deficit to stun No. 23 and top-seeded Fresno State, 6-5, to advance to the championship round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Friday night at Bulldog Diamond. The loss knocked Fresno State out of the tournament due to a 2-1 loss to Nevada Thursday night.

Kristi Yoshizawa went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and a two-run home run. Jessica Morton got the win in relief, throwing 4.0 innings, and Courtney Baughman entered in the bottom of the seventh, with two out, and two runners on base to get the final out. Hawai`i will now play Nevada for the WAC Championship tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.

Fresno State jumped out to 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Christina Clark got a one-out single to left, which was followed by a looping base hit by Haley Perkins that landed close to the third base line in shallow left. Robin Mackin then hit a ground ball to short, but Manuma's only play was to first, allowing the two runners to move into scoring position. Kristin Sylvester then hit a double over the rightfielder that drove in both runners. Barr then hit another looper to left to put runners at the corners. Nichole Willis then hit a chopper that tipped off the glove of a leaping Smethurst for a base hit that scored Sylvester from third. Jessica Morton then entered the game and got the final out of the inning on a fly ball to leftfield.

The Rainbow Wahine answered right back in the top of the fourth. Tausaga got a base hit with one out. Malamaisaua Manuma hit a ground ball to the shortstop who flipped to second for the lead runner and tried to turn two, but Manuma beat the throw out. She then moved to second on a wild pitch that ricocheted off the catcher. With two outs, Kaulana Gould then got a base hit to leftfield. On the hit, Manuma raced around third and slid in safely at home. Gould moved to second on the throw home. Kristi Yoshizawa then ripped an opposite field triple that landed right inside the leftfield line. Gould scored from second to cut the Bulldog lead to 3-2.

In the top of the sixth, UH scored two more runs to take the lead. Tausaga led the inning off with an opposite field drive that Katrina Jaques caught right at the leftfield fence to save a home run. Malamaisaua Manuma then got a base hit to left. Two batters later, with two outs, Yoshizawa crushed a two-run home run over the right-centerfield fence, to take Hawai`i's first lead of the game, 4-3 over the Bulldogs.

Hawai`i then tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh. Valana Manuma led off with a walk. Clare Warwick then hit a double to the right-center gap. With runners on second and third, Brandi Peiler then came up and hit a line drive up the middle, driving in both Manuma and Warwick, pushing Hawai`i's lead to 6-3 with half and inning to play.

But Fresno State would fight to the end. After getting two quick outs, the Bulldogs were back to the top of the order with their All-America Clark. She started a furious two-out rally with a double down the leftfield line. Perkins then drove Clark in with a single up the middle. Centerfielder Gould tried to throw Clark out at the plate, but Clark slid under the tag for their first run of the inning. Mackin stepped to the plate and she got an RBI single to left to score Perkins from second to cut UH's lead to 6-5. Sylvester then got a squibber hit that went off Tausaga and Power to put runners on first and second with two outs and the winning run on first. Baughman then came into the game and was able to get Barr to ground out to Power at second for the final out and the win.

Justine Smethurst got the start, but left the game in the third inning. She was hit by a Mackin line drive that went off her left knee. Morton, however, came in for Smethurst and retired the first 12 batters she faced. She threw 4.0 innings, giving up two runs, on four hits, with one strike out. Baughman threw to just one batter, but secured the win by getting the last batter to ground out to second.

Nevada beat New Mexico State, 1-0, in the final game of the day. Both Nevada and Hawai'i are undefeated in the tournament. The WAC Champion will be determined in the best of three games tomorrow. The WAC Tournament Champion will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

-UH-