Finishing second to the nation's top-ranked team wasn't much of a consolation prize for the Hawaii softball team.

A one-inning meltdown led to Hawaii's second loss to No. 1 Washington (16-1) in as many nights, leaving the Rainbow Wahine with a runner-up finish in the Bank of Hawaii Invitational and the frustration of what might have been.

“;We didn't play well enough, five errors (on Saturday), eight errors in two games. We can't play with No. 1,”; UH head coach Bob Coolen said following an 8-4 loss in the tournament championship game yesterday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

After falling to the defending national champions 1-0 in extra innings the night before, the Wahine (12-8) took a 2-1 lead on the Huskies, but three errors in the fourth inning contributed to a seven-run outburst for Washington.

That was more than enough for Danielle Lawrie, who gave up two home runs to the Wahine but improved to 12-0. The reigning national player of the year struck out nine, went 2-for-3 at the plate, drove in two runs and was named the tournament's most valuable player and pitcher.

“;Hawaii swung the bats well early and found ways to score runs and we had to continue to battle,”; Washington head coach Heather Tarr said. “;Any time she rested they jumped on her and it's a testament to how good they are offensively.

Still ...

“;She's able to stay in control and that's what makes her good,”; Tarr said.

Lawrie gave Washington, designated as the home team, a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. But UH answered when Jenna Rodriguez singled in the top of the second and Alexandra Aguirre followed with a home run to right-center, only the second homer Lawrie had given up this season.

UH starter Stephanie Ricketts (4-5) was solid through three innings, but couldn't escape the fourth when the defensive lapses led to five unearned runs. Niki Williams capped the rally with a two-run homer to right for the Huskies.

“;We just did a lot of things out of character,”; Coolen said.

Lawrie shut the Wahine down until the seventh, when sophomore Dara Pagaduan hit a two-out, two-run homer to left field, her first of the season, to close the scoring.

But holding their own for most of two games with the Huskies didn't hold much weight with the Wahine.

“;People may think, 'Well, it's Washington, so we don't feel so bad,' but I still feel just as bad,”; said Aguirre, who was named to the all-tournament team.

“;I know we have it in us. It's frustrating and I think the frustration and knowing we can do it is what's going to push us further and get us through those games that are that close.”;

UH reached the title game by defeating East Carolina 6-4 in the first game of the day. Pearl City graduate Marina Gusman-Brown gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead with a grand slam in the top of the fifth. But UH responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Traci Yoshikawa's RBI double.

Kaia Parnaby (7-3) picked up her second win over ECU of the weekend and Ricketts earned a two-inning save, striking out the side in the seventh.

The Wahine next face Troy in a doubleheader on Wednesday and host the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament (Troy, Loyola Marymount and DePaul) next weekend.