A golden weekend for Hawaii teams

By Fred Guzman

MauiNow.com

It was a platinum weekend on the diamond for three teams from the Aloha State.

The University of Hawaii qualified for its first-ever NCAA softball World Series with a stunning upset of top-seeded host Alabama in the Super Regionals. The Baseball Bows earned an unlikely berth in the NCAA baseball tourney. And, to cap things off, Hawaii Pacific captured the NCAA national softball title.

Hawaii completed a stunning run in Tuscaloosa, Ala., going the maximum three games in eliminating top-seeded host in the softball Super Regionals.

After being routed 8-0 in Friday’s opener, UH rebounded for a pair of dramatic wins to oust Alabama.

In Friday’s nightcap, UH squandered a 6-0 lead and held on for a nail-biting 8-7 victory over the Crimson Tide, ending Alabama’s 28-game winning streak.

In Saturday’s decisive game, Hawaii overcame a 16-strikeout performance by Kelsi Dunne to post a 5-4 victory on Jenna Rodriguez’ two-run walkoff homer. It was her second blast of the game and increased UH’s national single-season record to 154.

Hawaii faces Missouri in Thursday’s opener of the eight-team double elimination tourney in Oklahoma City.

The UH baseball team, which spent the regular season struggling to qualify for the WAC tourney, capped a spectacular recent run by beating regular-season champ Fresno Sate 9-6 in the WAC championship game held in Mesa, Ariz.

The Bows won’t have to travel far for its NCAA regional tournament. UH is assigned to the Arizona State regional and opens Friday versus San Diego State. The top-seeded Sun Devils and Wisconsin-Milwaukee round out the regional field.

HPU won the national D-II crown with a 4-3 win over Valdosta State in yesterday’s title game in St. Joseph, Mo.