United Athletic Conference

WAC Tournament Day Four
Louisiana became just the second fourth-seed to capture the WAC Tournament title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over top-seeded Nevada. The Lady Techsters advance to the postseason for the first time since 1995. Tournament MVP Krissi Oliver was solid in the circle and at the plate. Oliver blasted her seventh home run of the season to give the Lady Techsters the lead in the top of the seventh. Oliver also earned the win with Wanda Malone earning the save. Nevada senior Jordan McPherson was stellar for the Wolf Pack allowing only six hits.

2008 All-Tournament Team

WAC Tournament Day Three
The Lady Techsters continued their red-hot play with a 4-3 win against top-seeded Nevada. Louisiana Tech is the only remaining undefeated team in the WAC Tournament after Summer Young delivered a two-out single to right field in the bottom of the seventh to drive in Kylie Bassett with the game-winning run. Nevada was the third-straight ranked team that the Lady Techsters have beaten. After Mandi Bertsch pitcher the first two innings of the game, Megan Krieg pitched the final five innings for the win. Nevada will now take on the winner of the elimination game between second-seeded Fresno State and third-seeded Hawai`i. Louisiana Tech will have to lose twice on Saturday. The last fourth-seed to win a WAC Tournament was Nevada in 2006 when the Wolf Pack captured its first WAC Tournament title.

For the second time in three years, Hawai`i eliminated Fresno State from the WAC Tournament. Third-seeded Hawai`i defeated second-seeded Fresno State 6-1 behind the arm and the bat of senior Kate Robinson. The all-WAC honoree allowed one run in the first inning and shut down the Bulldogs the rest of the way. At the plate, Robinson was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run to keep hope alive for the Rainbow Wahine who are in search of their first WAC Tournament title. WAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, Morgan Melloh, went 2.2 innings for the Bulldogs before Ryane Petersen pitched the rest of the way.

Nevada advanced to the championship game with a thrilling come-from-behind win over host Hawai`i. The Wolf Pack was down 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh when Sam Bias led off the inning with a single up the middle followed by a single to center by Kelsey Starr.  With one out and the bases loaded following a Michelle Beach walk, Sarah Hunt came up with the game-tying single to score Bias. Noelle Micka single to right center to score Kristin Stith for the game-winning run. This is the third-straight season that the Wolf Pack have advanced to the championship game, winning in 2006 and falling to Fresno State in 2007.

WAC Tournament Day Two
In the first of five games, top-seeded Nevada shut out sixth-seeded San Jose State, 5-0 behind the pitching of senior Jordan McPherson. The all-WAC honoree was the WAC Tournament MVP in 2006 when the Wolf Pack captured its first WAC Tournament title. The Wolf Pack scored four runs in the second inning led by Danielle Patrick's two-run single scoring both Kelsey Starr and Sam Bias. Behind McPherson's complete game, Nevada moved to 41-14 this season.

Fourth-seeded Louisiana Tech came-from-behind with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and one in the bottom of the eighth to give the Lady Techsters a 3-2 win over second-seeded Fresno State. With two tournament wins this season, Louisiana Tech has won more games than in the 2006 and 2007 tournaments combined. The Lady Techsters have also defeated back-to-back ranked teams also defeating No. 22 Hawai`i yesterday. In the eighth inning, Danielle Sheridan singled to get the rally started. An Amberly Waits singled moved Sheridan into scoring position. Regan Clark followed with the Lady Techsters third-straight single to give Louisiana Tech the upset. The Lady Techsters remain undefeated in the tournament and will face top-seeded Nevada tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. HT.

In an elimination game, fifth-seeded New Mexico State knocked out seventh-seeded Utah State, 3-0. New Mexico State's Kim Watson and Samantha Dillard combined for a one-hit shutout. The New Mexico State offense came from senior Stephanie Herrera and freshman Ashley Maroda who both had two hits. Utah State is still in search of its first WAC Tournament win, making its first appearance last season.

In another elimination game, Fresno State became the first team in the WAC Tournament since the 1991 season to play two extra inning games in the same tournament. Fresno State fell to Louisiana Tech Thursday morning 3-2 in eight innings and came back in a must-win game vs. New Mexico State for a 7-6 victory in 10 innings. Caitlin Stiglich singled followed by an Aja Scheuber single down the left field line in the bottom of the 10th inning. Stiglich would score the winning run from second on an error by the NMSU shortstop on a hit by Ortega. Ortega led the team with three RBI's and two hits. Ashley White also had two hits for the Bulldogs and Lisamarie Coronado had two RBI's.

WAC Tournament Day One
San Jose State defeated Utah State in the first game of the 2008 WAC Softball Tournament, 8-2. The Spartans earned their third-ever WAC Tournament win behind a four-RBI performance by Brittany McConnell. Her four RBI tied a WAC Tournament record. She tied a record also held by Utah's Sunny Smith (against UNLV in 1999) and San Diego State's Julie Clancy  (against Southern Utah in 1992). San Jose State now earned the right to face top-seeded Nevada at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Deanna Mauer earned the win for the Spartans, while Lindsey Benson took the loss for the Aggies.

Fresno State scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh to give the second-seeded Bulldogs the 3-2 win. Despite an injury to infielder Haley Perkins, the Bulldogs manage to edge out the Aggies. With 10 strikeouts in the game, Morgan Melloh now has 398 for her career and is just four shy of the single season school record set by Robin Mackin. Melloh improves to 38-5 on the year.

Fourth-seeded Louisiana Tech upset third-seeded Hawai`i 2-1 behind the strong performance of junior Krissi Oliver. The all-WAC honoree provided the offense for the Lady Techsters by homering to left center in the second inning to give Louisiana Tech the lead. In the circle, Oliver pitched a complete-game six hitter. The Rainbow Wahine made a valiant effort, scoring one run in the ninth to cut the lead in half. Kate Robinson hit  a home run to right center for her 18th homer of the season.

Day One Photos
Day Two Photos
Day Three Photos
Championship Game Photos(Photos by Michelle White and Jay Metzger)

Hawai?i's Tournament Central
2008 WAC Tournament Bracket
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This is the first time that Hawai?i has hosted the WAC Softball Tournament. It is only the sixth WAC Softball Tournament with Nevada winning the 2006 title and Fresno State winning its second tournament in 2007. The Bulldogs also won the 1999 softball tournament. Utah won the first two WAC Tournaments in 1991 and 1992.