Burkhart, ASU end UH softball season

Arizona State pitcher Katie Burkhart continued her mastery over the University of Hawaii softball team yesterday, leading the Sun Devils to an 8-0 victory to advance to this week's super regional.

After blanking Hawaii 10-0 on Saturday, Arizona State waited to see which team would advance to yesterday's final. Mississippi State eliminated Stony Brook and Hawaii then beat Mississippi State for the second time in as many days to set up the Tempe regional final.

Rainbow Wahine starting pitcher Kate Robinson didn't get out of the second inning as Hawaii fell behind 3-0 early and Kristen Miller sealed the deal for the Sun Devils with a grand slam in the fourth. Hawaii finished the year with a 40-21 mark. Arizona State is now 59-5 and will host the next round of the NCAA softball tournament as well.

"Too much firepower for us to handle," UH coach Bob Coolen said.

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TEMPE, Ariz. » To succeed at this level, expect to face and beat the best.

That was the formidable task facing the Hawaii softball team in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. In the end, the Rainbow Wahine went up against one of the best pitchers in the country and were humbled.

After Arizona State's Katie Burkhart shut out UH on two hits Saturday, the 5-foot-10 senior from San Luis Obispo, Calif., continued her mastery yesterday. Burkhart limited the Wahine to three harmless singles on Championship Sunday as the Sun Devils defeated Hawaii 8-0 in a game stopped after five innings.

Coming into the Tempe region, Burkhart was tied for seventh in the nation in wins and picked up her 34th of the season over the Rainbow Wahine. That helped propel Arizona State into the super regionals this weekend on its home diamond.

Burkhart's stellar effort and a 10-hit attack highlighted by a grand slam from Sun Devils catcher Kristen Miller, ended Hawaii's season.

"Too much firepower for us to handle," offered UH coach Bob Coolen. "Sure, we went up against one of the best pitchers and she did keep us off balance with great stuff. We did not hit our stride (yesterday)."

The Wahine actually had an opportunity to stay close early.

After the Sun Devils took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, UH third baseman Claire Warwick drilled a one-out single to left in the second. She was sacrificed to second, but Arizona State shortstop Rhiannon Baca took a hit away from Valana Manuma with a reaching stab of a liner in the hole to end the threat.

From that point, the Sun Devils added to their lead. They received a second-inning home run from Mindy Cowles off losing UH pitcher Kate Robinson, and the grand slam from Miller in the fourth.

UH managed only four baserunners all afternoon, including two in the third. But Katie Grimes and Kaulana Gould were stranded after each singled. Grimes got on again in the fifth when she was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.

Coming into the game, UH was well aware of Burkhart and her achievements. She has the most wins in Arizona State softball history (111) and is one of only six in NCAA history to record 1,500 strikeouts.

"We did not want the same outcome (as Saturday)," said Warwick, a junior from Canberra, Australia. "We wanted to apply pressure and stay positive. (Burkhart) threw nothing but zeros. That's what she's out to do."

Coolen started Robinson for the fourth straight game here in the desert and his plan, if Robinson faltered, was to go to Jessica Morton. He called this approach, "the Kate and Jess show."

"Sometimes it works and sometimes not," he added.

Conceding "Robinson is not an every-day pitcher," Coolen simply pointed out the senior from Honolulu was not at her best.

Robinson was lifted with two outs in the second and behind 3-0. Morton was brought in and did not fare any better. The senior from Grants Pass, Ore., was pulled after Miller's grand slam, ending her career.

In facing Burkhart, the UH hitters were aware of her fastball and location. Then, Burkhart mixed in a nasty change and Wahine hitters remained off balance and helpless.

"I did not know much about (Hawaii), but my plan was go hard and not let down," Burkhart said. "No, the changeup is not really my out pitch, but it was cool to bring that to the table this weekend."

Robinson was named to the all-tournament team along with Gould. Burkhart and Miller were selected from ASU, and Burkhart was named the tourney's MVP.

All four WAC teams were eliminated yesterday.