ST. JOSEPH, Mo. » There were enough baserunning gaffes to drive Hawaii Pacific coach Bryan Nakasone mad. But the Sea Warriors' relentless aggressiveness on the basepaths ultimately decided the 10-inning outcome in their 1-0 victory over Angelo State at the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.

The third-ranked Sea Warriors (48-8) advanced to tomorrow's semifinals after their longest game of the year. ASU (49-14), which entered the championship round as the lowest-ranked team at No. 19, drops into today's elimination bracket.

“;We've been on the other side before, and it takes a lot to come back. I see it in these other teams. They have the desire to win and one of them is going to be back,”; said Nakasone, who is attempting to guide the Sea Warriors to their first national championship since 1993 (when HPU was a member of the NAIA).

Kozy Toriano, a junior from Hilo, scored the game's only run from third in the top of the 10th when Angelo State catcher Kacie Easley threw the ball away on a steal by pinch runner Malia Killam, a freshman from Wailuku.

“;We called a play that we have worked on over the season and it actually worked,”; said Nakasone.

According to ASU coach Travis Scott, Easley was supposed to throw the ball back to the pitcher and concede the stolen base to Killam. “;We weren't going to try to throw the runner out with two outs. We weren't going to do anything stupid. They were going to have to hit to score and we made a mistake,”; summarized Scott.

Killam's steal followed a suicide squeeze attempt that backfired. With HPU runners on second and third, ASU smelled the squeeze on a 3-1 count and called for a pitchout with freshman Caira Pires at the plate. While Pires was trotting to first with a walk, Easley nailed freshman pinch runner Pomaikai Kalakau, who was coming down the line from third, for the second out.

“;We have to make things happen. We definitely weren't hitting the ball very hard,”; said Nakasone.

Winning pitcher Sherise Musquiz (32-3) was touched for six hits during her 10-inning shutout. The senior from Pico Rivera, Calif., entered the championship round ranked third in the nation in ERA.

The most serious scoring threat by ASU occurred in the seventh when the Rambelles loaded the bases and had their hottest hitter at the plate. In three previous at-bats against Musquiz, ASU first baseman Kaycee Taylor had two solid singles. But with the outcome of the game on the line, Musquiz induced a sizzling one-hopper to the mound to retire the side.

“;I was definitely nervous. They had a lot of good hitters and they came out swinging,”; said Musquiz, one of three seniors in the starting lineup.

Second baseman Casey Sugihara, one of other senior starters, made an uncharacteristic mistake. She was doubled up because of a baserunning error in the sixth, which killed a rally. But with HPU advancing to the semis with a roster containing nine freshmen, Sugihara relishes the Sea Warriors' position in the championship.

“;It's definitely been an amazing journey here. The freshmen have helped us a lot throughout the season,”; said Sugihara.