[ WAHINE SOFTBALL ]
Wahine softball team
roughs up Miners
Hawaii softball coach Bob Coolen is the first to admit his team is still searching for an identity.
It's not exactly an ideal situation for the Rainbow Wahine, who have played 41 games already this season and face Western Athletic Conference foe Fresno State this week. But Coolen could hardly complain yesterday as Hawaii (22-19, 4-0) closed out its first WAC series with a sweep.
Sophomore Ashley Ruff continued producing at the plate as she hit her second three-run homer in two days and Hawaii beat Texas-El Paso 4-2 and 5-0 in a doubleheader played before 121 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Junior Shannon Tabion struck out 10 in the shutout for her 14th victory of the season, a day after throwing a no-hitter at the Miners.
Coolen knows it was fortuitous scheduling for Hawaii to open WAC play against UTEP. The Miners (7-29, 0-6 WAC) are in their first season of existence and have been mostly a cure-all for their opponents.
"It was a good schedule to get four WAC games under our belts going into the Fresno series," said a sopping-wet Coolen after being given a water-cooler shower for sweeping the series.
"We've had such a roller-coaster preseason. Eighteen and 19, up and down. We have a couple good wins, a lot of bad losses. We never found our true identity in preseason. ... We're still searching for an identity in the outfield, a starting lineup."
Hawaii's inconsistencies were reflected in Ruff, who was hitting .173 prior to the series. She belted her homer over the left-center-field wall in the second game to give Hawaii a very comfortable 5-0 lead in the third inning.
"I'm just trying to make contact and try to get the ball in the playing field," said Ruff, who finished the series going 6-for-12. "I've been having a lot of difficulty lately, but I felt really good in this series.
"It was a lack of confidence. Before this tournament, I wasn't really sure of myself going into the box. ... It's pretty difficult when you're in a slump to take yourself out. You just got to find things and keep working at it. ... I went up there after a while and said I've got nothing to lose. I wasn't a real home-run hitter before. Never, like, one a day."
Coolen was definitely pleased with Ruff's results.
"Usually people go through slumps in peaks and valleys," he said. "Ashley has been on the valley floor a long time. She's only seen the pinnacle once. This weekend was a different story. She felt more comfortable. She was seeing the pitches. ... If she hits over .200 (this season), I hope that boosts her confidence. She needs that."
Ruff had two hits and two RBIs in the first game as junior Melissa Coogan got the win in scattering seven hits and fanning eight.
The Miners scored first when Denise Emmons doubled to the gap in the top of the third inning to score Laura Joiner, who had reached on an error. Emmons' RBI double ended 23 2/3 scoreless innings for UTEP.
Hawaii evened the score in the bottom of the inning when Amanda Garza scored on a UTEP error. The Wahine added three more runs in the fourth behind Ruff's triple to right-center field.
UTEP's inexperience in the pitching circle showed as freshman Renee DiPuccio rarely got ahead in the count and had difficulty throwing strikes when she needed them. The Miners' defense didn't help much either, though there were fewer errors yesterday.
"Every program we face is at least 20 years old. We're not even 50 games old," Miners co-head coach Kathleen Rodriguez said. "I was not happy with our team after the second game yesterday. We showed up a little more today and actually made Hawaii play some ball."
The Rainbow Wahine meet WAC leader Fresno State (33-12, 6-0) in doubleheaders Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs beat Tulsa 4-0 and 7-5 in Tulsa yesterday.
Note: UH home-run leader Stacey Porter was in the stands yesterday. Porter, who is taking the year off to try to earn a spot on the Australian Olympic team, was in town for a visit.