UH gets ASU in rematch

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Chicks dig the long ball.

ASU    Hawaii 10 0 Hawaii    MSU 7 4 NEXT UP vs. Arizona State, today

At least the women on the University of Hawaii softball team do after staving off elimination yesterday in the Tempe region of the NCAA softball tournament by going deep early and often.

After getting crushed in the first game of the day by No. 2 Arizona State, the Rainbow Wahine shook off the 10-0 drubbing by beating No. 25 Mississippi State 7-4 in the double-elimination tournament to set up today's rematch with the host Sun Devils.

If Hawaii wins the first game between the two, then a second will follow to determine who advances to the super regionals. Hawaii turned that trick last year, before losing to host Tennessee, leaving the Rainbow Wahine one game shy of the softball College World Series.

But beating Mississippi State for the second time in as many days is one thing. ASU (58-5) appears to be a cut above the competition Hawaii faced this season. Still, the Rainbow Wahine bounced back after their worst loss of the year to remain alive one more day.

Kate Robinson got it started with a three-run blast in the first inning. It was her 21st home run of the season and leaves her two shy of the Western Athletic Conference mark.

"The home run set the tone for the rest of the game," Robinson said.

Hawaii added three more long balls for good measure to run the Rainbow Wahine total to seven off Bulldogs pitching. After Robinson's shot, right fielder Tanisha Milca hit one with two outs in the second, Brandi Peiler added another in the third and Claire Warwick closed the deal with a two-run blast in the fifth. All of Hawaii's runs were via the long ball.

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TEMPE, Ariz. » Too bad Mississippi State left town.

The Hawaii softball team feasted on the Bulldogs again last night and in the process advanced to Championship Sunday in the Tempe region of the NCAA softball tournament.

The Rainbow Wahine scored all of their runs by way of the homer and defeated Mississippi State 7-4 on the Arizona State campus. By winning, the Wahine live to play another day and will take on the host Sun Devils today at 10 a.m. Hawaii time.

Should Hawaii win, it would force a second game at 12:30 p.m. Hawaii time, with the winner moving on to the super regionals. Should the Wahine lose, their season ends here in the desert.

By losing to Arizona State 10-0 earlier yesterday, the Wahine waited to see their opponent for a night game in this double-elimination format. After Mississippi Stated defeated Stony Brook, Hawaii continued its power play from Friday against the Bulldogs.

Three home runs carried the Wahine past Mississippi State in Friday's opening game, and the bombardment continued with four more bombs last night.

The Wahine found the still, dry desert air to their liking and proceeded to pound rockets, with regularity, over the fences here at Farrington Stadium.

"This was round two and we elicit strong responses from our hitters," Hawaii head coach Bob Coolen said. "Don't know what it is about playing in this ballpark at night, but we see the ball very well here and utilize quick bats."

Continuing her season-long display of power, Kate Robinson sent a first-inning, three-run tracer over the left-center-field fence and the Wahine found their niche. For the Honolulu senior, the home run was her 21st of the season -- two short of the Western Athletic Conference mark for all games in one season set by Christina Cox of Fresno State in 2004.

That propelled Hawaii to a 3-1 lead, an advantage the Wahine never relinquished.

"The home run set the tone for the rest of the game," Robinson said. "That showed their pitcher (Misty Flesher) was hittable."

After Robinson jump-started the Wahine offense, the chain reaction followed.

First, right fielder Tanisha Milca drilled a line drive over the right-field fence with two outs in the second. Then, Brandi Peiler led off the third with a blast over the left-field fence. That was followed by a two-run shot off the bat of Claire Warwick in the fifth. For Warwick, the home run was her sixth of the season, a career high.

By that time, the Wahine built their final three-run margin, and reliever Jessica Morton retired seven of the final eight Mississippi State hitters to preserve the win.

While Robinson's ability to reach the fences is well-documented, UH received power contributions throughout the lineup. Milca and Peiler each connected with their fourth home run of the season. Coolen would like to see that kind of balance today against powerful Arizona State.

"Here in the NCAA tournament, we don't have the luxury of turning it on and off," the coach added. "Two losses and you're out. It's that simple. We'll talk some things over, and then be ready to go."

In the opener yesterday, the Wahine lost by their largest margin of the season. Hawaii's previous worst losing margin was 9-2 to California on March 1.

Sun Devils left-hander Katie Burkhart (32-5) limited the Wahine to two hits and five baserunners in a game stopped after six innings by the 10-run rule. The two hits, singles from Peiler and Valana Manuma, were in the fourth inning.

Now, the Wahine have another shot at the Sun Devils, ranked second in the nation by USA Softball.

"We'll do what it takes to make Arizona State uncomfortable," promised Robinson. "We'll show up in their back yard, ready to do some damage."

Around the WAC

The other three WAC teams in the NCAA tournament took the same path Hawaii did. Louisiana Tech, Nevada and Fresno State won Friday, lost their openers yesterday, then advanced to today's regional finals with wins.