Rainbows in search of offense
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i will try to find better luck in Las Vegas, of all places, this weekend at the Rebel Classic.
Better luck for their bats, that is.
The Rainbows are coming off a 3-3 finish at their Paradise Classic in which they hit .163.
"We just need to start hitting the ball little bit more consistently," said UH coach Bob Coolen.
Tennessee's Monica Abbott had a lot to do with UH's hitting woes last week. The freshman left-hander was 6-0 with a 0.95 earned-run average in the tournament, throwing a perfect game and two-hitter in wins against the Rainbows. Abbott, who also had a no-hitter against St. Mary's, was named USA Softball National Player of the Week.
Coolen doesn't expect to see anymore pitchers like Abbott.
"There's no one that throws 70 (mph) right now that we're going to face," Coolen said. "We're going to see pitchers more of the tune of UAB (Alabama-Birmingham), St. Mary's and Oregon State. We need to go out and hit those young ladies and if we don't, we're going to have a very long season."
Junior first baseman Stacey Ritter leads the Rainbows in batting at .300. Only two others have a .200 or higher batting average: freshman Tyleen Tausaga (.250) and junior Tracie Uchima (.200).
"We can't really tweak the lineup too much because we don't have a lot of options to move people around," Coolen said. "I have all veterans out there and the only one not a veteran is Tyleen and she has the second-best average out there. There's nothing much I can do except hope that the bats come around."
The pitching has been effective. Melissa Coogan (2-1) started three games in the Paradise Classic, including a five-hitter in a 1-0 win against St. Mary's.
Shannon Tabion (1-0) did not allow a run in six innings, while newcomer Jessica Morton (0-1) allowed three runs, but only one earned, in six innings in her only start in a 4-3 loss to UAB.
"Our game is nine-tenths pitching," Coolen said. "Ten-tenths with Tennessee, but nine-tenths of the whole game is pitching. The other one-tenth is what happens at the plate."
The Rainbows will play Notre Dame and UNLV tomorrow, Portland State and Wisconsin on Saturday and DePaul on Sunday.
The 15-team field will play at two different sites. One will be at UNLV's Eller Media Stadium and the other is at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in Henderson.
After the Rebel Classic, the Rainbows remain on the road with a doubleheader Tuesday at Loyola Marymount before heading to San Diego State for the Campbell/Carrier Tournament. Hawai'i will play Oregon, Ohio, Loyola (Chicago), San Diego State and Washington in that tournament.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
