Box Score

LOGAN, Utah - The No. 14 University of Hawai`i softball team (45-9, 16-2 WAC) won it's second Western Athletic Conference Title with a 14-2 win over Utah State (17-31, 5-10 WAC) at Johnson Field in Logan, Utah. Kate Robinson went 4-for-4 with a single, double, and two home runs. She broke UH's single-season record with her second round-tripper of the game. She passed former UH stand-out Stacey Porter who hit 17 in 2003.

It is Hawai`i's first conference title since 2003, and third overall with UH taking the Big West title in 1994. The Rainbow Wahine have the best regular season record in school history.

Hawai`i started the game off with a bang, scoring eight runs in the top of the first. Tanisha Milca led the game off with a single to left. Clare Warwick followed with a double to right-centerfield, driving in Milca all the way from first. Kaulana Gould was next and hit a single up the middle, scoring Warwick from second. Tyleen Tausaga then hit into a fielder's choice, but the shortstop's attempt to throw Gould out at second was wide for an error. Robinson continued the rally with a single up the middle to score Gould from second. After a ground out to third, Valana Manuma cranked her fourth home run of the season over the leftfield fence for three runs. Alana Power followed that with a walk and then Katie Grimes hit the second home run of the inning to left-center for the seventh and eighth runs of the inning.

In the second, Robinson hit her first home run of the game to left-centerfield. The solo-shot tied Porter's record of 17.

Then in the fifth, the Rainbow Wahine put the game away. Power led the inning off with a solo home run to leftfield. Grimes then drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Audrey Andrade then hit a single to center to move Grimes to third. With runners at the corners, Gail Matsushima stepped to the plate and got a base-hit to right-center to score Grimes. After a pop-fly, Amanda Tauali`i hit into a fielder's choice that left runners at the corners for Robinson, who promptly drilled her record-breaking 18th home run of the season to left-centerfield. In all, the 'Bows score five more in the fifth to seal the victory.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Aggies went down with a fight. Rupp led the inning off with a single, then after an out, Shaible launched a two-run home run to left for Utah State's first and second runs of the game.

Courtney Baughman earned her fifth win of the season, throwing 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits with one walk and four strike outs. Jessica Morton closed the game out, throwing the final two outs to end the season.

Hawai`i returns home tomorrow and then has a week off before heading off to the WAC Championship Tournament in Fresno, Calif. May 10-12, 2007.

-UH-