FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-11-01

College Softball: Hawaii Pacific 6-5, No. 4 Armstrong Atlantic State 3-3

Courtesy of Hawaii Pacific Sports Information

KANEOHE, Hawaii – The red-hot Hawaii Pacific University softball team (19-1) put an exclamation point on their early season success by winning both games of a non-conference doubleheader, 6-3 and 5-3, against the NCAA Division II fourth-ranked Pirates of Armstrong Atlantic State University (7-3) this afternoon at the HPU windward campus field.

In the second-game HPU shortstop Holly Garcia hit a line drive home run, her first of the year, over the left field fence with two-outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a three-all tie and give the Lady Sea Warriors their eighth straight win. Garcia, who was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the game, had a hit, an RBI, and a run scored in the first game as well.

HPU had trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth when Kim Fukumoto’s two-run single to center field scored pinch-runners Alisa Iloreta and Rachel Lacar to tie the game at three and set-up Garcia’s heroics.

In the first game AASU starting pitcher Annie Sells had trouble finding the strike zone early as she walked four, and hit two, of HPU’s first eight batters of the game that resulted in four runs. HPU added insurance runs with one in the fourth, and one in the fifth inning. The Pirates seventh-inning rally was cut short at the plate when Mary Morris was thrown out at home off a perfect relay from Ashelle Acosta in center field to Garcia at shortstop to Okimoto at home.

Jessica Parra improved her record to 10-0 while recording five strikeouts against the Pirates.

HPU’s string of non-conference games continue with a doubleheader against Lispcomb University from Tennessee this Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. (windward campus) and a double-dip against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday (2:00 p.m.) at the windward campus. AASU travels to BYU-Hawaii for a 2:00 p.m. matchup on Monday afternoon.