Strong starts by Hawaii-Hilo have almost become commonplace, but it is the finish that matters. Hilo fast out of the gate
in another sportHawaii-Hilo and Western New Mexico
are the teams to beat at the halfway pointBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comLike the last basketball season, Hilo is on top of the softball standings at the halfway point, tied for first with Western New Mexico at 10-2.
Also like the basketball season, it may not be enough to ensure a conference title.
The Vulcans and the Mustangs split a four-game series in Hilo over the weekend to tighten the knot even further.
But the Vulcans softball team is on firmer ground than the basketball team was at the halfway point in the season.
The basketball team started out on top of the conference by sharing the best home-court advantage in the conference.
The softball team is tied for first because it probably has the best pitcher in the conference.
And in collegiate softball, pitching is everything.
Kristine Kahoalii, Hilo's top pitcher, leads the PacWest in earned run average with a 0.72 mark. She is also 8-2, good for second in wins behind Western New Mexico's Angela Slaugh (12). Slaugh leads the conference in strikeouts and saves.
The Mustangs can match the Vulcans in No.1 starters, but it is the No. 2 spot where Hilo has the decided advantage.
Tara Martinez and Taysha Anderson follow Kahoalii in the rotation and have been almost as effective, giving Hilo three of the top five pitchers on the earned run average list.
Martinez is third with a 1.00 ERA while Anderson stands fifth with a 1.30 mark., making the team a full run better than their nearest competitors.
The Vulcans lead the PacWest in team ERA with a 0.93 mark. Hawaii Pacific is next with a 1.95 ERA.
Hilo is near the top in fielding and batting also, standing second behind Western new Mexico in both categories.
The Vulcans and Mustangs have not left everyone in the dust though, as traditionally strong Hawaii Pacific has played only four conference games and split them. Chaminade stands five games back with a 7-7 record.
Brigham Young-Hawaii got off to a bad start and was on the verge of falling out of the race when it discovered Kassiopeia Hood.
Hood threw back-to-back shutouts in nonconference games last week.
Also like the basketball season last year, the PacWest has a truly horrible team for the others to beat up on. Montana State-Billings is 0-12.
Seasiders reign: The Brigham Young-Hawaii men's tennis team made a strong statement Tuesday, spotting Hawaii Pacific its No. 2 player and still winning.
Peter Madarassy, the Seasiders second-best singles player and possibly their best doubles player, missed the showdown when he returned to Hungary to tend to his seriously ill father.
His teammates behind him each moved up a spot and handed the No. 3 team in the country its third loss of the year.
Three losses may be more than either of the Seasiders tennis teams have this year.
The men are 14-0 while the women are perfect after 12 matches. The men are No. 1 in the nation while the women are No. 2.
UH-Hilo Athletics
