Wahine wake up
with winMelissa Coogan keeps
Hawaii alive with a shutout
AUSTIN, Texas >> A Thursday morning loss was so disappointing the Hawaii Wahine returned to their hotel rooms and prepared for a softball elimination game the best way possible.
They took a nap.
Having shaken off the fatigue of traveling through five time zones in two days, the Wahine manufactured a couple of Stacey Porter runs to support Melissa Coogan's three-hit pitching and posted a 2-0 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the NCAA Region 3 softball tournament at the University of Texas' McCombs Field.
Hawaii (38-19) plays the loser of today's Southwest Texas State-Northwestern game at 1 p.m. Hawaii time in another elimination game.
Earlier, LSU set an NCAA tournament record with five home runs in a 9-4 win in the first game, which started at 4 a.m. Hawaii time.
The combination of a good rest and the suspect offense of A&M-Corpus Christi, which was earlier shut out 4-0 by Texas, made an enormous difference.
"I felt as though we were awake," coach Bob Coolen said. "We were a lot more in tune with our game. Melissa pitched a real good ballgame in her typical fashion."
Coogan (30-10) became the first 30-game winner in school history, but had to get past a stressful first inning to do so.
Having given up three home runs against LSU, she was wondering if this just wasn't her day when A&M-Corpus Christi (31-24) got its first two batters on base in the first inning.
The Islanders eventually loaded the bases with two out, but Coogan struck out designated player Dani Damel to escape unscathed.
"I was definitely kind of scared after the first inning," Coogan said.
"They had the bases loaded but I worked through it after the first inning."
Coogan sat the Islanders down in order the next four innings.
A&M-Corpus Christi's Kate Evans hit a two-out single in the sixth to end a streak of 15 straight batters retired by Coogan, but catcher Eden Goss grounded out to shortstop Kate Judd for the third out.
Coogan did not allow a baserunner in the seventh.
"She did a good job and kept us off balance," A&M-Corpus Christi coach Missy Phillips-Dickerson said. "We didn't make the adjustments we needed to make and they got the best of us."
Hawaii provided all the run support Coogan would need in the second inning.
Porter and Judd drew consecutive walks and Trisha Ramos reached on a failed fielder's choice to load the bases with none out.
An out later, Noelle Izumi tapped a grounder left of the plate and Porter scored when A&M-Corpus Christi third baseman Katie Evans couldn't make a play.
Hawaii picked up some insurance in the sixth as Porter singled, stole second and came in on Ramos' bloop single behind second base.
Coolen said he wasn't too concerned when Coogan struggled in the first inning.
"That's Coog's M.O.," he said. "In some games in the first inning she's so pumped up she has some trouble and misses some pitches."
However, he admitted getting out of that inning without allowing a run was critical because the Wahine did not want to have play catch-up against Islanders power pitcher Sarah Pauly (23-16).
"Had they gotten a run it would've been hard on us because Sarah Pauly is a good pitcher," Coolen said. "But we got the run early and Coogs was in cruise control from the second inning to the seventh."
