Hawai'i swept by FSU

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Fresno State's Julie Selbicky is out at home after being tagged by Hawai'i catcher Jennifer Tandarich in the first game of a doubleheader. Photos by Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Before 312 spectators, the Bulldogs (40-13) padded their WAC lead with 6-4 and 3-2 victories over UH (29-19). The losses dropped the Rainbows to 10-4 in conference — two games behind FSU (11-1) — and severely damaged their postseason hopes.

"Our kids go up and rise to the occasion," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "We can hit. This year the whole focus has been on can we get it done in the (pitchers') circle? We've been able to get it done — 29 wins is not that bad, 29 wins against the competition we've played ... it's just not enough. We needed to reach 40 wins and that's going to be hard with only 12 games left."

Fresno State is the only team to go to all 20 NCAA Tournaments; Hawai'i, picked by conference coaches in the preseason to win the WAC, is trying to reach its sixth. The teams play another doubleheader today at 2 p.m. If it's anything like last night, the Rainbow Wahine will, at the very least, make it entertaining.

They were clearly not intimidated by FSU starter Jamie Southern last night. The redshirt freshman came in with an NCAA-best 0.35 earned run average. All-American Natalie Gonzales drilled Southern's first pitch for a single. A sacrifice later, Kate Judd bashed a ball over the left-field fence, but foul. Judd — last season's WAC Player of the Year — hit the next pitch harder, over the fence in center. The Australian's 10th homer this season put Hawai'i ahead 2-0 and extended her hitting streak to 14 games.

The Rainbows' advantage lasted until the third inning, when three-time all-WAC infielder Lindsay Fossatti hit a two-run homer off UH starter Sheri Oronoz (17-9). After a hit and walk, Lori Hoffman broke the tie with an RBI single. But the thunder from Down Under struck again in the bottom of the third. After Judd walked, compatriot Stacey Porter pounded her 11th homer to give the Rainbows their last lead.

After playing brilliant defense behind Oronoz's stingy pitching the first four innings, they wilted in the fifth. Oronoz, weakened by the flu, hit the first batter and walked the second, inspiring Coolen to bring in freshman Melissa Coogan. Gonzales' error loaded the bases and, after a force at home, FSU tied it on a wild pitch. Hoffman again broke the tie with an RBI single. The Bulldogs added another run in the sixth and Southern (27-6) retired the Rainbows in order — for only the second time — in the seventh.

"The good thing was, we answered back every time," FSU coach Margie Wright said. "That was a very positive thing for us."

FSU had a season-high 11 hits — one more than UH — in that game and 12 in the next, when UH freshman pitcher Shannon Tabion hung tough into extra innings. It was a strange time for the Bulldogs' offense to break out. They played in Oklahoma City Tuesday and Wednesday and are in the midst of a 12,000-mile road trip that will take them to WAC games in Ruston, La., and Tulsa, Okla., next week. They left Oklahoma at 2 a.m. HST Thursday.

"In Oklahoma, we hit very well," Wright said. "I think everybody now is getting their confidence back. We played a very difficult schedule early and it didn't give anybody a chance."

Jet lag becomes the Bulldogs, particularly Hoffman and Fossatti. She launched another homer — doubling her season total — off Tabion (3-3) in the first inning of the second game. Hawai'i tied it in the fourth when Porter scored on an illegal pitch by Leslie Poole (12-3). Fossatti untied it the next inning, doubling in Tiffany Whipple.

Porter blasted a ball into the tennis courts in the bottom of the sixth to make it 2-all, but Howell launched Tabion's first pitch in the eighth over the wall.

"They have the same mental attitude as us," Porter said of the Bulldogs. "Everytime we play Fresno, we play a good game. That's how they come out — to win. We're just not quite there yet."

SHORT HOPS: After today's doubleheader, Hawai'i closes the regular season at Portland State next weekend (April 27-28), at Oregon April 30 and at home, against Tulsa, May 10-11. The Golden Hurricane is the only conference team other than FSU and UH with a winning WAC record. ... Fresno State softball has been ranked all 173 weeks there has been a national poll. Before last season, when it was No. 22 in the final poll, it had never finished the season ranked worse than 11th. ... FSU senior Lindsay Fossatti broke the school record for career walks last night, drawing her 107th. ... Natalie Gonzales came into the series with three errors all season. She had two in the first game last night. ... Mitzi Ing is FSU's starting right fielder. Ing was the Hawai'i state pitcher of the year in 1999 and 2000, when she helped Iolani to state titles. ... Fresno is 5-3 in extra-inning games this year.

Kate Judd is greeted by her Rainbow teammates after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning of last night's first game.

Game One

Fresno st. 003 021 0—6 11 0
Hawai'i 202 000 0—4 10 2

Jamie Southern and Pam West. Sheri Oronoz, Melissa Coogan (5) and Jennifer Tandarich. WP—Southern. LP— Oronoz.

Leading hitters: FSU—Lindsay Fossatti 2-3, home run, 3 RBIs; Lori Hoffman 2-4; West 2-4. UH—Natalie Gonzales 3-4; Stacey Porter 2-3, home run; Denise Dahlberg 2-3; Kate Judd home run.

Game Two

Fresno State (40-13, 11-1) 100 010 01—3 12 3
Hawai'i (29-19, 10-4) 000 101 00—2 4 0

Leslie Poole and Pam West. Shannon Tabion and Jennifer Tandarich. WP—Poole. LP—Tabion.

Leading hitters: FSU—Tiffany Whipple 2-5, double; Lindsay Fossatti 2-2, double, home run; Vanessa Czarnecki 2-4; Julie Selbicky double; Lori Hoffman home run. UH—Stacey Porter 2-4, home run.