Box Score
2010 WAC All-Tournament Team

LAS CRUCES, N.M.—The No. 21/24 University of Hawai`i softball team (44-13, 19-1 WAC) left no doubt of who was the champion of the Western Athletic Conference this season. The 'Bows soundly defeated Fresno State, 14-3 to capture their first ever WAC tourney championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

 

Hawai`i, the regular season WAC title holders, made a strong statement today as they captured the tourney crown that had eluded the team for the past four seasons. UH bounced back after dropping the first game to the Bulldogs, 4-3, to hit five home runs and score at least one run in every inning in the rout. It also marked the second time that UH 8-run ruled the Bulldogs in as many days.

 

UH hit 13 home runs during their four tournament games to bring their NCAA single-season team record to 141 this season. UH outscored their opponents this week, 50-15 in four games. Hawai`i, as a team, has now hit multiple home runs in 39 of 57 games this season—and at least four home runs in a game 16 times.

 

Kelly Majam started the game off with a resounding bang, hitting a lead-off home run to centerfield. It was her NCAA-leading 28th homer of the season. It was the fifth time the redshirt rookie led a game off with a home run this year. Jessica Iwata followed with a single through the rightside of the infield. Melissa Gonzalez then hit into a fielder's choice in which Iwata was erased at second on a grounder to second. Jenna Rodriguez then reached on a fielding error on the second baseman and Alex Aguirre followed with an infield single to short. Kanani Pu`u-Warren walked to load the bases. Amanda Tauali`i then stepped to the plate and rocketed a grand slam over the scoreboard in right-centerfield. It was her third grand slam of her career and 16th homer of the season, breaking her previous career-high of 15 in a season. The 'Bows finished the top of the first inning with a 6-0 lead.

 

In the bottom of the first, Fresno State tried to answer right back. Haley Gilleland led off with a walk and stole second. Parnaby got the next to outs on a strike out and a fly out to center. Clean-up hitter, Courtney Moore then roped a single to centerfield, but on the play Majam came up and fired a one-hop strike to catcher Katie Grimes to gun down the speedy Gilleland at the plate for the third out of the inning.

 

The 'Bows posted four more runs in the second, pushing their lead to 10-0. After a groundout to the pitcher, Iwata drew a walk and Gonzalez hit an infield single to second. Rodriguez then followed by ripping an opposite-field double right inside the first base bag down into the rightfield corner. Both Iwata and Gonzalez scored on the double. Aguirre followed with the team's third home run of the game. She launched it over the rightfield fence, driving in Rodriguez with her 11th round-tripper of the year. Fresno State then changed pitchers, replacing starter, Mackenzie Oakes with ace Morgan Melloh. Melloh gave up a single to Kanani Pu`u-Warren, but then settled down to strike out the final two batters of the inning.

 

Hawai`i got one more run in the third when Aguirre picked up an RBI with the bases loaded to drive in Majam. UH added another run in the fourth on a solo home run hit by Traci Yoshikawa that landed on top of the batting cages beyond the leftfield fence. UH led 12-0 after three-and-a-half innings played.

 

Iwata started the fifth inning with her third hit of the game, and soon came home on Gonzalez's 23rd home run of the season. It was a blast to centerfield that went in and out of centerfielder, Diane Runge's glove and fell over the fence, giving the 'Bows a 14-0 lead with half an inning to play.

 

But Fresno State would not go down easily, mounting a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning. Alexis Lujan led off with a sharp single up the middle and was followed by Becca Walker who hit a line drive up the middle just off a diving Iwata's glove at shortstop. UH settled down to get a strike out and a pop-up to first, but then gave up a three-run home run to centerfield off the bat of Andrea Ortega. Michelle Moses then reached on a fielding error on Yoshikawa, but the game ended on a pop-up that was squeezed by Yoshikawa at second.

 

Freshman southpaw pitcher, Kaia Parnaby (19-6), tossed a complete game in the win. She gave up three runs on six hits with a walk and three strike outs. She held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard through the first four innings.

 

In the game, Iwata led the 'Bows at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk; Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and a home run; Majam hit 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a home run; Rodriguez scored two runs with two RBI and a double; Aguirre was 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a home run; Tauali`i hit a grand slam and Yoshikawa hit a solo homer.

Hawai`i placed three players on the WAC All-Tournament Team: Melissa Gonzalez, Katie Grimes and Jessica Iwata. Kelly Majam was the tourney's Most Valuable Player.

The junior third baseman, Gonzalez, hit .471 (8-for-17) in the tournament, with a team-highs in runs scored (eight), hits (tied at eight), doubles (two), home runs (tied with three), and RBI (tied with eight). UH's senior catcher, Grimes, hit .538 (7-for-13) with a home run, three RBI an dthree runs scored. Freshman shortstop, Iwata, hit an even .500 (8-for-16) with seven runs scored, a double, a home run, four RBI, and tied for the team lead with eight hits.  Majam led UH with a .571 batting average (8-for-14) with team-highs in hits (tied with eight), home runs (tied with three), RBI (tied with eight), total bases (18), and walks (five). Majam also made sparkling defensive plays in centerfield throughout the tournament to earn the honor.