Top-ranked Hawaii Pacific reaches NAIA quarterfinals
From staff and wire reports
DECATUR, Alabama - Maybe it's not the best of coaching strategies but it was effective. When Hawaii Pacific softball coach Howard Okita needed a pinch-runner yesterday, he turned to junior Kim Ishihara because "she was the only one we had left on the bench."
Ishihara scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the top-ranked Sea Warriors a 2-1 victory over Wil-liam Woods of Missouri in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament. The victory lifted Hawaii Pacific (48-6) into today's 8 a.m. HST winners' bracket quarterfinal against fourth-seeded Pacific Lutheran (35-10).
Should Hawaii Pacific win, the Sea Warriors would play again at 2 p.m. HST today against the winner of the Mobile, Ala.- Oklahoma City game. A loss would drop them into the 2 p.m. HST losers' bracket contest against today's winner between St. Francis (Ill.)-Shawnee State.
Yesterday was the second extra-inning tournament victory in a row for the Sea Warriors. On Tuesday, Hawaii Pacific scored two runs in the top of the 10th to defeat St. Francis, 3-1.
The dramatics continued against William Woods, which had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Sea Warriors tied the game in the bottom of the third on Star Perry's two-out single to right that scored Michele Ringor.
In the 11th, Perry lined a one-out double to center field and gave way to pinch-runner Ishihara. Ilima Guerrero followed with a single to right that pushed Ishihara to third.
Ishihara slipped after rounding third but, when the throw in from right sailed over the head of Williams Woods catcher, Sheila Kemna, Ishihara headed for home. The Iolani School product slid under the tag by Owls pitcher Amy Gastineau for the deciding run.
"We held her at third but when the ball went over the catcher's head, she went on her own," said Okita. "Ishihara was lucky. She was dead out but they dropped the ball, trying to make the tag."
Okita said his team needs to hit better today against Pacific Lutheran, a 9-2 winner over Athens State yesterday. The Sea Warriors had eight hits off Gastineau, two each by Perry and Guerrero.
HPU pitcher Lisa Balbirnie (13-3) was the winner, giving up seven hits while striking out three and walking one.
One out when winning run scored
William Woods 100 000 000 00-1 7 3Amy Gastineau and Sheila Kemna; Lisa Balbirnie and Jennifer Kimura.
Hawaii Pacific 001 000 000 01-2 8 1W-Balbirnie (13-3). L-Gastineau (16-4).
Leading hitters-WW: Heather Tang 2-4, 2b; Sheila Kemna RBI. HPU: Ilima Guerrero 2-4; Star Perry 2-5, 2b, RBI; Jarnett Lono 2b.
