Warriors put on pads for first time

Competition was a theme for the Hawaii football team entering spring practice. The intensity figures to pick up a notch this morning when the Warriors return to work for their first day in pads.

“;Guys have to step up,”; UH defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Cal Lee said. “;We'll find out who wants to be a starter. There's a lot of competition - there's spots open and these guys all know it.”;

The Warriors offense and defense worked on opposite ends of the field for the first two practices this week and will get together for 7-on-7 drills today. The linemen had been facing off with limited contact in one-on-one drills in practice on Monday and Wednesday, focusing mainly on footwork off the line of scrimmage.

Today's practice runs from 7 to 9 a.m. Practices are open to the public.

Bulldogs eke out win over Wahine

Down to its last out, No. 22 Fresno State came through.

Haley Gilleland's two-out, two-run single to left in the bottom of the seventh lifted the Bulldogs over Hawaii 2-1 in a Western Athletic Conference softball game in Fresno, Calif., yesterday.

The Rainbow Wahine (15-20, 3-4 WAC) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth when Alex Aguirre scored from third on an error.

UH freshman pitcher Stephanie Ricketts (10-7) was one out away from picking up the complete-game victory but couldn't close. With runners at second and third, Gilleland singled to left, scoring Jody Badorine to tie it. The throw to the plate to try to get Mallory Perkins was off line, giving Fresno State the victory.

Bulldogs pitcher Morgan Melloh (17-10) limited Hawaii to four hits, striking out 15.

Wahine top Aztecs in water polo

Junior Leonie Van Der Molen scored five goals to lead No. 4 Hawaii to an 11-9 victory over No. 7 San Diego State in yesterday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation women's water polo match at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.

It was the final regular-season match for the Rainbow Wahine (16-7, 3-4), who will host the MPSF tournament April 24-26.

After falling behind 4-1 in the first quarter, Hawaii scored six unanswered goals in the second to take the lead for good. The Aztecs pulled to within 10-9, but Van Der Molen's fifth goal with 3:11 left secured the win.

Hawaii hosts Canada on Thursday in the first of three exhibition matches. The Wahine also have two exhibitions next week against Australia.

HPU takes 2 in road tennis matches

Hawaii Pacific won both the men's and women's tennis matches against nationally ranked Georgia College & State University yesterday in Milledgeville, Ga.

The sixth-ranked Sea Warriors men (11-4) upset the No. 4 Bobcats 7-2, winning five of six singles and two of three doubles. HPU's losses came at No. 1 singles and doubles, but they won out to hand GCSU its first home loss.

In the women's match, the No. 18 Sea Warriors shut out the No. 19 Bobcats 9-0. HPU improved to 11-6.

Hawaii teams 3-5 at Stanislaus tourney

Led by Hawaii-Hilo's 2-1 outing, Hawaii's PacWest softball teams went 3-5 in yesterday's first day of the Cal State Stanislaus Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.

No. 18 Hawaii Pacific (29-8) went 1-2, while Chaminade (7-27) was 0-2 in the 20-team event.

The Vulcans (19-17) held off Western Washington 6-5 and rallied past St. Martin's 8-6. UHH's lone loss was to Western Oregon 2-1 in nine innings.

A five-run sixth helped lift the Vulcans past St. Martin's. UHH got two-run doubles from Sarah Weisskopf and Nicole Alconcel to erase a 6-3 deficit.

The Sea Warriors (29-8) lost 8-3 to Humboldt State in eight innings. HPU tied the game in regulation 2-2 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, only to give up six runs - five unearned - in the top of the eighth.

HPU came back to defeat Cal State San Bernardino 7-1 on Courtney Kessell's five-hitter. HPU then fell to Sonoma State 7-1.

Chaminade (7-27) fell to UC San Diego 11-1 in five innings, and 9-2 to Cal State San Bernardino.

HPU downs Chaminade in golf

Conner Rumpf took medalist honors to lead Hawaii Pacific over Chaminade in a men's golf match at Barbers Point Golf Course.

Led by Rumpf's 73, the Sea Warriors finished at 300, 102 strokes better than the Silverswords.