Posted on: Friday, March 5, 2004

ISLE FILE
UH wins two in softball tourney

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i softball team scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning and then held off College of Charleston, 5-4, last night in the Kipa Aloha Malihini Tournament at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Hawai'i won its first game yesterday against Southern Illinois, 3-1.

The international tie-breaker rule, which places a runner at second base to start the inning, was enforced after the second game was tied at 3 after seven innings.

UH's Denise Dahlberg advanced to third on Ashley Ruff's single to left. Ruff later stole second.

After a ground out, Justina Kahuku's groundout to second scored Dahlberg with the go-ahead run. Tracie Uchima followed with a grounder to the second baseman, who threw to first, but the first baseman didn't have her foot on the bag and was charged with an error. Ruff scored on the play.

Southern Illinois scored a run in the bottom half on a wild pitch, but UH starter Melissa Coogen (4-6) struck out Darcy Johnson to end the game. Coogen struck out 10 and walked four.

In the first game, UH's Shannon Tabion pitched a five-hitter with six walks and five strikeouts.

MORE SOFTBALL

• Hilo wins one; second postponed: Kalei Robia scored on a squeeze by Jeani Jadlot in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead Hawai'i-Hilo to a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame de Namur (Calif.) at UHH field yesterday.

Hawai'i-Hilo is 16-3, Notre Dame de Namur is 9-6.

Robia beat the tag at home despite a clean fielding job by Argonaut third baseman Katy Mason.

Sarah Steele gave up one hit in seven innings and struck out seven for the Vulcans.

The second game of yesterday's doubleheader was suspended because of darkness with the score tied at 3 in the fifth inning. The game will resume today at noon, followed by another doubleheader.

BENCH PRESS

• Competition for high school students: The second annual Hawai'i High School Bench Press Your Bodyweight Competition is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. March 13 at Windward Mall.

Awards will be given to the top five female lifters and the top four in each of four male weight divisions. Awards will be based on the lifters who complete the most repetitions of their bodyweight in their division. (Female division contestants will lift half their body weight).

Entry forms are available from high school weightlifting teachers on O'ahu.

For details, contact David Suzuki, the competition's coordinator, at 266-7866.

GOLF

• U.S. Open qualifying: Applications are available for the U.S. Open Championship golf qualifying tournaments, which will hold a sectional qualifier in Hawai'i for the first time.

In previous years, Hawai'i hosted local qualifiers, but this year it will also have a 36-hole sectional June 7 at Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer Course. The top sectional finishers advance to the U.S. Open, June 17 to 20 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

The 18-hole local qualifiers are May 15 at Ka'anapali's North Course, Maui; May 18 at Po'ipu Bay Golf Course, Kaua'i and May 20 at Turtle Bay.

Application information is available at www.usga.org/champs.