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Thursday, September 7, 2000
Wahine gain Hawaii head coach Bob Coolen thanked his players for the effort they put into preparation for yesterday's doubleheader against the 2000 USA Softball Women's National Team.
valuable experience
in loss to Olympians
Two shutouts to the
USA Olympic team gives
the Hawaii players a new
perspective to the gameBy Al Chase
Star-Bulletin"When I told them about the games during the summer, some of the players thought I was joking, using it as an excuse to get them to work harder," Coolen said.
The Wahine did not embarrass themselves against the defending Olympic champions, the best team in the world, losing, 6-0 and 4-0.
OK, so the Wahine managed just one hit in 12 plus innings. And USA right-hander Lisa Fernandez struck out all 16 UH batters she faced in a perfect performance in the rain-shortened, second game.
But two statistics clearly show what the Wahine were up against.
The Olympians now have won 109 consecutive games. In the last 63 games, the Olympians have allowed just three runs.
April Crowell, a freshman from Roosevelt High School, broke up Danielle Henderson's no-hit bid with a solid, slap single between third and short with two out in the fifth inning of the opener.
She later was one of Fernandez's strikeout victims.
"It was a new experience. There was a very big difference. Her speed, her motion and the motion on her ball," said Crowell.
Kea Yamaguchi, the final strikeout before the rain came, said, "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I tried not to look at her face."
It wasn't as if the Wahine didn't get their hacks against Fernandez. Fifteen of the 16 Wahine who whiffed, did so swinging. And they did hit five foul balls which drew cheers as the game progressed.
The Olympians scored their first run in each game on solo homers, by Dot Richardson, who was 3-for-4 in the opener, and Jennifer Brundage in the second game.
Richardson's shot skipped off the top of the fence in right-center field in the third inning. Later in the inning, Brundage hit an almost identical homer with Sheila Douty on base.
However, Brundage's blast in the second game was high and deep, well past the 200-foot mark on the left-field fence.
So what is left for USA head coach Ralph Raymond to fine tune with this team?
He didn't admit to any aspect of the Olympians game not being ready, but did have some concerns.
"The big thing is whether we can handle a hostile crowd," Raymond said. "We've been there (Australia) a number of times and they get very, very . . . how should I say it?"
Hostile was suggested.
"Very," Raymond said.
"The other thing is living in the village," he added. "We've never had to do that and it could cause a little problem. In Atlanta we were living in a dream setup. It was great. Now we're going to be in the village. There always seems to be trouble in the village. I just hope nothing happens."
The Olympians have avoided injuries so far. Raymond says this is crucial because once the Olympics start and the 15-player roster is set, changes can not be made, even if a player is hurt.
"The tough teams that we will really have to be ready for are the Australians, Japan and China," said Raymond. "A sleeper in the group will be Italy. We were over there in April and they gave us a tough time."
The USA women know they are on top and everyone will be gunning for them.
"We can get around that by putting a pin in their balloon, by scoring very early in a game. That's going to be one of the keys points for us," Raymond said.
The United States open against Canada on Sept. 16.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu