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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, March 9, 2003

Coogan pitches Hawai'i to pair of tourney wins

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Melissa Coogan pitched a complete game against UC Riverside.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Chevron Malihini Tournament

Today's games

Boston College vs. Loyola Marymount, 10 a.m.

Hawai'i vs. Boston College, noon

UC Riverside vs. Kent State, 2 p.m.

Baylor vs. Kent State, 4 p.m.

Hawai'i vs. Buffalo, 6 p.m.

WHERE: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

ADMISSION: No charge

Melissa Coogan won her seventh consecutive decision in pitching the University of Hawai'i's softball team over UC Riverside, 4-1, last night in the Malihini Tournament at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Coogan (10-2) gave up a run on six hits with no walks in notching her seventh complete game.

In its second game, Hawai'i beat Kent State, 8-2, with Coogan getting the win in relief. Hawai'i is 13-7 overall and 4-0 in the tournament.

Coogan, a sophomore right-hander, also beat the Highlanders at Riverside, Calif., on Feb. 20, a 7-2 decision.

"She's been consistent ever since the beginning of the year when she was .500," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "She been on a tear where she's really focused. She just gets the job done. Her pitches are working. Her and Denise (Dahlberg, UH's catcher) are clicking and she's just real confident on the mound right now."

Coogan had blanked the Highlanders (5-16 overall, 1-4 in the tournament) for five innings. In the sixth, Jamie Yee led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch and two outs later scored on Jessica Black's double to left that pulled the Highlanders to 3-1.

The Rainbows backed Coogan with the long ball. Dahlberg hit her first home run of the season to start the fifth inning and April Crowell did the same to lead-off the sixth for her team-leading sixth home run.

The Rainbows scored twice in the bottom of the second against Highlanders starter Nicole Bethurum (2-2), who gave up four runs on eight hits in going the distance. Stacey Porter led off with a double to center and took third when Kate Judd grounded out to the pitcher. Porter scored on Trisha Ramos' ground single just under second baseman Karli Burnelite's glove. After Dahlberg's sacrifice moved Ramos to second, Marie Jackson doubled her home before Justina Kahaku grounded out to end the inning as UH took a 2-0 lead.

Dahlberg's homer made it 3-0 against Bethurum and after the Highlanders scored in the sixth, Crowell matched the run with her solo blast to center.

Only twice did the Highlanders manage more than one base runner in an inning. Besides the sixth when they scored, they had two reach on singles in the first inning. But Coogan escaped by getting Melissa Sanchez to foul out to third and Black to line out to second to end the inning.

Coogan was 12-8 with one save as a freshman last year.

"She's a pitcher, not just a thrower," Coolen said. "Last year, she came in and was just a thrower. She tried to blow the ball by everyone. Now she has all her pitches working. A change up, which is really effective. Her and Denise are on the same page, as far as what they want to throw."

Hawai'i 8, Kent State 2: The Rainbows sent nine batters to the plate and scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning to support Coogan in winning her eighth consecutive decision after three innings of scoreless relief.

Using the international rules tie-breaker, Kahaku, the last out of the previous inning, took second base and advanced to third on Tracie Uchima's sacrifice. Kahaku then scored on Noelle Izumi's two-base error when second baseman Kelly Maehl dropped a pop-up. The Rainbows added four more runs on an RBI single by Stacey Porter, a two-run double by Dahlberg and an RBI single by Jackson.

Coogan allowed four hits in three innings of relief of starter Shannon Tabion.

Kent State starter Kate Leary (3-3) allowed seven runs — three earned — in 7¡ innings.