ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Metro State’s softball team saw a mirror image of itself — powerful Hawaii Pacific — in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II women’s College World Series at Heritage Park. Unfortunately for the fourth-ranked Roadrunners, the third-ranked Sea Warriors wore them out Sunday.
Hawaii Pacific advanced to today’s championship game with a 7-2 victory that ended the Roadrunners’ season at 53-6. The Sea Warriors (49-8) had 14 hits against Christie Robinson, Metro State’s All-America right-hander who finished her senior season with a 30-4 record and a 1.40 ERA.
“They were just sitting back on off-speed (pitches), getting a lot of singles,” Metro State coach Jen Fisher said.
Hawaii Pacific will play for the national title against Valdosta (Ga.) State (51-8). Metro State went 2-2 in the double-elimination CWS, including a 4-1 victory over North Georgia on Saturday night that knocked the top-ranked Saints (51-2) out of the tournament.
The Roadrunners’ only lead Sunday was 2-1. Jennessa Tesone’s two-out, two-RBI single in the third inning Sunday swung the momentum in Metro State’s favor. Until then, Hawaii Pacific pitcher Sherise Musquiz had not given up an earned run in the CWS.
“She is a really good pitcher,” Tesone, a junior left fielder from Niwot High School, said of Musquiz (33-3). “She has a lot of spin on her ball. But after seeing a bunch of these really spinny pitchers, we kind of caught on.”
Hawaii Pacific regained the lead by scoring two runs in the fourth inning. An infield hit by Musquiz drove in the go-ahead run. Musquiz went 2-for-4 and had three RBIs.
Robinson, a transfer from Nevada-Las Vegas, was called for 12 illegal pitches during the Roadrunners’ CWS opener last week against Angelo State of San Angelo, Texas. She lasted just 1 1/3 innings in a 10-3 loss that dropped the Roadrunners into the elimination bracket.
Metro State stayed alive by winning two games Saturday.
“I’m really proud of Christie,” said Fisher, who is 125-36 in three seasons at Metro State. “She literally changed her pitching style in the last two days of her senior year.”
