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Saturday, April 29, 2000
‘Off the wall’
night for Wahine
seniors in final
home games
Degen and Lum join
By Dave Reardon
softball legends on new
Wall of Fame after split with
Golden Hurricane
Star-BulletinIt was a perfect ending -- perfectly frustrating.
Just a little gust of wind would've ended Dana Degen's home career as a University of Hawaii softball player with the ultimate walk-off home run.
But Degen's long drive was not to become the two-time All-American's team-record 28th career homer. Instead, it plopped into Tulsa center fielder Jessie Smith's glove, a foot short of the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium fence.
"Talk about a paradigm shift," Golden Hurricane coach Lori Castellano said. "It came down to the last ball pitched, for both teams."
And in both games.
Hawaii rallied for two runs to win the first, 5-4, while Tulsa (19-26, 7-8 Western Athletic Conference) won the second, 2-1. The outcomes prompted the fastest revisionist history of all-time.
"I'll just erase the second game and say the first one was our senior game," Degen said.
She spoke near the wall she nearly reached in her final at-bat, and where her name and number were put up last night next to those of other Wahine greats.
One of her fellow departing seniors, first baseman Joyce Lum, also made the new Wall of Fame last night. Degen and Lum joined Brooke Wilkins, Kelly Gentle and Tia Morenz one night after the "charter" initiation."It was a really big surprise. Those other names up there are legends to me," Lum said.
In addition to getting on the wall, Degen was off it, with her wiggy post-game run around the bases. And UH freshman Kate Judd got over it. So did Tulsa's Ann Mesman -- twice.
Both of Mesman's homers were off junior lefty Desiree Duran (9-5), who threw every Wahine pitch in both games. For the most part, Duran Duran was a decent act.
"She only made two mistakes," Hawaii coach Bob Coolen said. "The same middle-inside high pitch to the same girl."
The first one gave Hawaii a three-run deficit in the first inning of the first game.But the Wahine won it when Judd grounded to third in the seventh, and Lum scored on a bad throw by Tulsa third baseman Dawn Reed.
Tyree Woodruff scored earlier in the inning on Demetria Costa's single.
Judd had homered in the second, and one of Lum's four hits on the evening keyed a two-run third.
In the second game, Duran allowed only three hits, but one was Mesman's two-run blast in the fourth.
Pinch-hitter Stacie Hirano reached on an error by second baseman Kerri Hasselbar to start Hawaii's seventh.
After two wild pitches by otherwise effective Krystel Markwardt (4-6), Hirano scored on Woodruff's ground out.
Lum singled before Degen's game-ending shot to the wall.
Coolen reacted the only way the coach of a 21-24 (7-9 WAC) team with no postseason hopes can."Too bad it was 199 feet. I'm glad we gave the (274) fans two excellent games," he said. "It was fitting that Dana had that blast. We always came up a little short this year."
Coolen also spoke of how -- despite the disappointing season -- he will miss this year's senior class, which also includes third baseman Alison Rapanot and second baseman Melissa McGie.
"We'll miss their bats, their presence, their veteran knowledge," Coolen said. "As you saw, they were all involved in the rallies. I'm glad they had a good going out."
Hawaii completes its season with four road games at San Jose State, May 5-6.
First game
Tulsa 310 000 0 - 4 6 1 Hawaii 012 000 2 - 5 10 1 Angela Wedlake, Jenny Maghill (5) and Ann Mesman. Desiree Duran and Dana Degen. W-Duran (9-4). L-Magill (5-13).
Leading hitters-Tul: Ann Mesman 3-run HR. UH: Joyce Lum 2-3, 2b; Kate Judd 3-4, HR, RBI.
Second game
Tulsa 000 200 0 - 2 3 2 Hawaii 000 000 1 - 1 4 1 Krystal Markwardt and Ann Mesman. Desiree Duran and Dana Degen. W-Markwardt (4-6). L-Duran (9-5).
Leading hitters-Tul: Ann Mesman 2-run HR. UH: Joyce Lum 2-3.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
