Finally, the pitching and hitting all came together for the University of Hawaii Wahine softball team. Wahine take tourney crown
Hawaii, the WAC's top hitting team, was backed by a strong performance on the mound by sophomore Stephanie Wiese to upset No. 12 California, 4-0, for the championship of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational yesterday. Wiese scattered six hits in her first shutout of the season, snapping a personal four-game losing streak.
The Wahine (21-12) had pounded the Golden Bears, 11-6, earlier in the day to send Cal into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament. Hawaii used a four-run sixth, highlighted by Melissa McGie's bases-clearing double, to pull away.
McGie, a freshman third baseman from Australia, was named the tournament's most valuable player. She went 2-for-2 in the title game, with a double and run-scoring single.
Cal (17-12) played three consecutive games to gain the final. After losing to Hawaii, the Golden Bears eliminated Creighton, 5-1.
The victory avenged Hawaii's lone tournament loss, a 3-2 defeat to Cal Saturday night. Wiese was the losing pitcher in that game after giving up a game-clinching home run to Melanie McCart.
McCart joined McGie on the all-tournament team, along with the Wahine's Dana Degen, Kehau Cofran and Tia Morenz. Also named from the Golden Bears were Katie May and Jenny Ackley.
Other selections were Ronnie Marmitt and Lisa Walkowiak of Illinois State, Creighton's Heidi Geier and Kim Palmer of Southeast Missouri State.
BALLARD WINS SURF MEET: At Burleigh Heads, Australia, Hawaii's Rochelle Ballard beat three-time world champion Lisa Andersen yesterday for the championship of the Billabong Pro surf meet, the first contest win for the Kauai native since 1993.
Ballard, who won $6,000 and moved into fourth-place in tour points, had two perfect 10s in the semifinal against tour leader Layne Beachley to become only the second woman to score a 10 in the history of the Coca-Cola/ASP World Championship Tour.
In the men's competition, four-time world champion Kelly Slater defeated Brazilian Peterson Rosa to win $15,000.