Box Score

HONOLULU - A pair of runs posted in the first inning was all the 23rd-ranked Rainbow Wahine softball team needed as they held off No. 14 Baylor, 2-1 to win the 2007 Bank of Hawaii Invitational. Junior pitcher Kate Robinson (7-0) picked up her third win of the tourney, throwing her seventh complete game of the season. Robinson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Hawai`i (27-7) started the game with a bang. Lead-off hitter Richie-Anne Titcomb got an infield hit to get things going. Next, Clare Warwick drilled a double to the right-centerfield gap, scoring the speedy Titcomb all the way from first. After a fly out, Tyleen Tausaga then hit a single to center to score a sprinting Warwick from second to put UH up early, 2-0.

The Lady Bears answered quickly. In the top of the second, Brette Reagan led off with an infield single to short. After a fly out to right, she moved to second on a ground out to first. Then with two outs, Miriam Romero reached on a throwing error from short that allowed Reagan to cross the plate safely, cutting Hawai`i's lead in half, 2-1.

But as it turns out, that was all the run support that Robinson and the UH defense would need to earn the win. She gave up only one unearned run while scattering four hits in the game. For the tournament, Robinson went 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA in 19.0 innings pitched. All three wins were complete game efforts. She fired one shut out and walked only one batter while striking out 13. She also played first base in the other three games and hit .278 with a double and a home run. Her home run against No.25 California was the team's 43rd this season. It broke the school record of 42 set all of last season. She is tied for the team lead in homers with Tausaga at nine.

Baylor's Kirsten Shortridge got the start, but lasted only 1.1 innings before being lifted in the second inning. She gave up the two Hawai`i runs on four hits with a walk and a strike out. Lisa Ferguson came in relief and fired the final 4.2 innings. She shut down UH the rest of the way, giving up only one single, walking one and striking out seven.

This marks the second tournament in a row that the Rainbow Wahine have won. Last week, they went 7-0 en route to winning the Hawaiian Airlines Spring Fling Tournament.

Hawai`i opens its WAC season on Monday, March 19 against Nevada at 6:00 pm. They will then play a double header on March 20 starting at 6:00 pm for the series finale.

Bank of Hawaii Invitational All-Tournament Team
INF - Christina Schallig, California
INF - Clare Warwick, Hawai`i
INF - Kelsey Starr, Nevada
C - Bernice Masaniai, California
OF - Nicole Wesley, Baylor
OF - Jessica Moore, Liberty
OF - Gina Leomiti, California
Designated Player - Tyleen Tausaga
P - Terra Lowe - Liberty

MVP - Kate Robinson (UTL-P/1B), Hawai`i