Kate Robinson pitched a two-hitter for her ninth shutout of the season, helping Hawai'i complete a 5-2 and 3-0 softball sweep of Utah State yesterday at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.

The outcome enabled the Rainbows to clinch the No. 3 seed in the double-elimination Western Athletic Conference tournament, which begins Wednesday in Manoa.

Entering today's regular-season finale, the Rainbows are 35-17 and 9-7 in the WAC. The Aggies are 14-31 and 2-14.

"It was a little too tough," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "But two wins is two wins."

The Rainbows parlayed a 3-foot bunt into a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game. After Tanisha Milca singled, Kaulana Gould placed a bunt just in front of the plate. Catcher Shasta Tyteca's throw sailed past first baseman Aubrie Stroman and then eluded right-fielder Michelle Workman.

"I just wanted to go for the single," Gould said. "I saw the ball go over (Stroman). I saw the right-fielder, but she missed the ball. I was like, 'Just keep running.' Coach (Coolen) gave me the the 'go' sign. I kept running. I was smiling the whole time."

That proved enough for Robinson, who did not allow a hit through the first six innings. Robinson mystified the Aggies with curves and dropballs.

"She was throwing very well," catcher Katie Grimes said.

But then the Rainbows entered what Coolen describes as "our seventh-inning nightmare" — a self-destructive trend that started during last week's 2-6 road trip.

Amy Schaible opened with a single for the Aggies' first hit and, one out later, Workman walked and Tara Evans singled to fill the bases.

Robinson and Grimes complained that the umpire had "squeezed" the strike zone. "So they got some, in my mind, free bags," Robinson said.

To which Coolen responded: "You've got to pitch harder."

To which Robinson responded with consecutive strikeouts to end the game.

"I was focusing on throwing my strong pitches and letting them adjust to me — not so much pitch to their weaknesses, but pitch to my strengths," Robinson said.

Grimes said: "She did a great job of keeping her composure and throwing strikes."

It was a lesson learned from the first game, when the Rainbows failed to hold a 2-0 lead.

Courtney Baughman was chased after 3 1/3 innings, yielding seven hits and a walk to 15 batters. She left with a 2-1 lead, and runners on first and third with one out in the fourth.

Coolen summoned Jessica Morton, whose pitching style — biting curveballs — is a sharp contrast to Baughman's screwballs.

Morton worked out of the jam without yielding a run.

But the Aggies tied it in the fifth, anyway.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Rainbows loaded the bases on Robinson's walk, Clare Warwick's chopper to left and Richie-Anne Titcomb's walk.

Coolen then decided to use left-handed Amana Tauali'i as a pinch-hitter for right-handed Audrey Andrade. Coolen's instructions were this: Pull the ball to the right side.

But the first three pitches to Tauali'i were on the outside portion of the plate. "I was looking for an outside pitch," she said.

On the seventh pitch, a 3-2 count, Tauali'i looped a hit to left, scoring Robinson with the go-ahead run.

The pitch "was slower than I thought it would be," Tauali'i said. "I kind of pulled off a little bit."

Milca, a right-fielder with the mentality of a fifth infielder, made two alert plays. On the first, she raced down a towering drive, hit the fence, then threw back to first for a double play. On the second, she short-hopped a sinking line drive, then threw to second base for the forceout. Hitting the fence and getting struck by a pitch left her right forearm bruised. "It's OK," she said, smiling.