Wahine sweep Portland State in WAC
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
The chase is on in Western Athletic Conference softball. Yesterday, Desiree Duran and Kate Judd made sure the University of Hawai'i Wahine stayed close.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Hawai'i swept Portland State, 2-1 and 6-5, before 112 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Earlier in the day, 15th-ranked Fresno State swept Loyola Marymount to remain in first place, a half-game ahead of UH.
UH's Sheri Oronoz is out at third as Portland State's Annie Peccia throws to second. But Peccia's throw was wild allowing Kristin Anderson to score from first base in the second inning in the second game of a doubleheader.
Duran (13-4) pitched a six-hitter for her sixth consecutive victory in the first game, with Judd bringing in both runs. Duran got her first save in Game 2, which Judd tied with a three-run homer and ultimately won with a bases-empty blast in the Wahine's last at-bat.
"I think I was just sick of not hitting," said the Wahine's sophomore shortstop.
Her timing was impeccable. A foul flyout deep enough to score pinch-runner Kimi Kaneshiro gave UH its first run. In her next at-bat, Judd launched a line drive off the Chevron logo 200 feet away to score Stacey Porter.
Duran, all but invincible this month, needed no more. Portland State had runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and sixth. Duran doused the fires with some of her seven strikeouts and perfect pitches that forced popups.
"When the pressure is on, I pitch a better ballgame," Duran admitted. "Like in Fresno, with all the hype, I forced myself to do a better job. It's kind of scary, but I know I have to do the job then so I focus more."
Duran walked in a run in the sixth, but breezed by the final four batters to finish.
But she wasn't quite done.
Hawai'i's Felicity Witt, who won 17 games the first two months of her collegiate career, didn't get through the second inning of the second game. Her slump, which has coincided with Duran's recent rise, continued when the Vikings put together two bloop singles, an error and a walk to tie the game at 1. Then Kiauna Anderson made Witt's only bad pitch her last, hitting a grand slam to put PSU ahead, 5-1.
"We'd be a hurtin' team if it wasn't for Kiauna this year," PSU coach Teri Mariani said. "She is the only one hitting the ball."
That brought in Janelle Gonzales, who held the Vikings scoreless the next four-plus innings. In that time, Judd tied the game with a homer over the Honolulu Advertiser banner in the third, and untied it with another over the same banner in the sixth. The first came on Nichole Ivie's first pitch ö the offering of choice for every UH hitter after Anderson's slam — and the next on a second-pitch change-up Judd crushed.
"Smack, smack, good solid hits," Mariani said. "Then it was good game. Two good games."
UH coach Bob Coolen brought Duran in to pitch the seventh. She gave up a leadoff double to Monica Martell, who moved to third on Anderson's fly ball. The final two batters popped out.
"I wasn't too worried," Duran said. "I just knew we needed the outs, I needed to make the ball move and they popped them up. That was my goal. As long as I spin the ball right, I don't think we'll have to worry about it. If it moves and it's in the right location, our fielders can handle it."
"This is true-to-form Desi right here," Coolen said. "Mid-season, late-season, she's on fire. But we can't lose Felicity. Down the stretch, we're going to need all three of these pitchers."
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SHORT HOPS: With commitments from Baldwin's Shannon Tabion, announced two weeks ago, and Iolani's Noelle Izumi, announced Friday, the Wahine now have five recruits for next season. Earlier, Hawai'i received commitments from pitcher/infielder Melissa Coogan from Arizona, and Californians Denise Dahlberg (catcher/outfielder) and Tracie Uchima (second baseman/outfielder).
