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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 8:55 p.m., Saturday, March 31, 2007

HPU, UH-Hilo advance in softball tournament

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii Pacific won 2 of 3 games yesterday to finish first in its pool at the 20-team Mizuno Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.

The Sea Warriors (22-7) finished 4-1 in pool play to advance to Sunday's Gold Division playoffs. Hawai'i-Hilo (27-6), which won its pool with a 3-2 record, also will compete in the Gold playoffs.

Chaminade (7-29) will compete in the Bronze Division playoffs despite losing all five of its pool play games because it won a tiebreaker. Brigham Young-Hawaii (15-8) did not clinch a berth in today's playoffs after finishing with a 1-4 record and losing in a tiebreaker.

Hawai'i Pacific won its first four games of the tournament before losing, 1-0, Saturday in extra innings to Sonoma State.

Sonoma State's Lindsay Emmel struck out 12 to win a pitching duel with HPU's Sherise Musquiz.

Scoreless after seven innings, the international tiebreaker rule was put into effect, placing a runner on second base to begin each half of the eighth. Sonoma State's Britni Geary was sacrificed to third, then scored on Claire Hiney's sacrifice fly.

HPU had the tying run on third after a one-out single, but Emmel got the final two batters to pop out.

Earlier in the day, the Sea Warriors edged San Francisco State, 10-9, and crushed Chico State, 10-2.

Cierra Senas hit a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to help beat San Francisco State. Krystal Plunkett added two hits and three RBIs.

Nicole Kalakau had three hits and four RBIs to help beat Chico State. Tajia Acierto added three hits and two RBIs, and Courtney Kessell pitched a six-inning five-hitter with four strikeouts for the Sea Warriors.

In other tournament games:

i Lizzy Prescott pitched a one-hitter with nine strikeouts as Humboldt State beat Hilo, 5-0. Miki Asamura broke up Prescott's perfect game with a two-out single in the fifth.

i Meghan Jost had two hits and two RBIs as Hilo beat UC San Diego, 6-4. Asamura and Zoie Sevilla each added two hits and an RBI.

i Ashlee Trotterand had three hits and three RBIs as Cal State Monterey Bay beat Chaminade, 8-2.

i Tara Van Meter hit two homers and drove in six runs as Notre Dame de Namur beat Chaminade, 13-5.

i UC San Diego beat Chaminade, 8-5.

i Ashley Eisemann drove in five runs as Sonoma State beat BYUH, 14-5.

i Jana Dewey batted 4 for 4 as BYUH beat San Francisco State, 6-4.