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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 2:09 p.m., Saturday, May 26, 2007

UH softball team wins, to play for world-series berth

Advertiser Staff

Kate Robinson pitched and hit the University of Hawai'i softball team to the doorstep of the College World Series with a 9-6 victory over Tennessee today in the NCAA Super Regional in Knoxville, Tenn.

UH will play Tennessee again today at about 12:30 p.m. Hawai'i time, with the winner advancing to the world series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Robinson hit a first-inning, two-run single and a tiebreaking homer in the fourth while keeping Tennessee's bats quiet until the final inning. Robinson allowed 10 hits, four earned runs (all in the seventh and final inning) while striking out three. Courtney Baughman got the final out on a line-out to left with a runner on base.

Robinson broke a 2-all tie by homering high-over the left-field fence in the fourth inning. It was one of three homers for UH, which set a school record for homers this season. Alana Power and defensive replacement Julie Franklin also homered. Robinson and Franklin each drove in three runs. Both also had two hits, as did Clare Warwick, Kaulana Gould and Power.

UH broke a couple streaks to tie the best-of-three series at 1-1 and force the winner-take-all game. The Rainbow Wahine snapped Tennessee's 28-game home winning streak and ace pitcher Monica Abbott's 27-inning scoreless streak.

Abbott, who no-hit UH in Friday's 9-0 five-inning, mercy-rule victory, was chased in the first inning. She threw 23 pitches and left after Robinson hit a bases-loaded single to right-center for a 2-0 lead.

Abbott was replaced by Megan Rhodes.

Tennessee tied the game in the top of the third (UT was the visitors) by scoring two unearned runs on a UH throwing error.

But the Rainbow Wahine took the lead for good in the fourth with Robinson's lead-off homer off Rhodes. Franklin later doubled off the left-fence and Power cleared it with a homer for a 5-2 lead.

Franklin's three-run homer in the fifth made it 8-2.

Tyleen Tausaga's single made it 9-2 in the bottom of the sixth and the Rainbow Wahine were close to ending the game on the eight-run differential mercy rule but couldn't score despite having a 9-2 lead with the bases loaded and one out.