Hawai‘i Pacific captures NCAA II National Championship

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – As she has done all season long, senior hurler Sherise Musquiz put the outcome of the Hawai‘i Pacific University softball team on the shoulder of her pitching arm one more time.

The scenario seemed grim: Bottom of the seventh, bases loaded, one out and the meat of the Blazer order making its way through the batter’s box with HPU clinging to a 4-3 lead.

But Musquiz settled her team down, forced a line out to third base and a pop fly to center field to give the Sea Warriors and the Pacific West Conference the NCAA Division II Softball National Championship.

For her 4-0 record during the Division II Softball College World Series, Musquiz was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Hawai‘i Pacific secured the 4-3 win on Monday’s in St. Joseph, Mo., during a nationally televised broadcast on CBS College Sports.

HPU finished the year 50-8, while Valdosta State ends its season 51-9. Musquiz had a hand – or arm – in 68% of HPU’s victories by registering a 34-3 mark on the mound this season.

On Monday, she scattered 10 base hits and allowed just two earned runs – both coming in the first inning on a twin-RBI double by Valdosta’s Alyssa Shirey.

Sherise Musquiz After managing just one base hit through the first four innings, the Sea Warriors scored all the runs they would need in the fifth. They produced six base hits in the inning and benefited from a pair of errors and several defensive lapses by the Blazers.

Down 2-0 entering the inning, Caira Pires led off for the Sea Warriors by singling to left field on the first pitch of the inning and then moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Breanne Patton.

Chante Tesoro dropped a beautiful drag bunt that she beat out for a base hit, while Pires rounded third and scored after the throw to first base dribbled into shallow right field.

Ciera Senas then singled through the left side on a 2-2 pitch, moving Tesoro to second and forcing Valdosta State into a pitching change.

Casey Sugihara put the ball into play down the leftfield line for a single, and wound up at second base following an error on the play. That sequence also chased Senas to third and saw Tesoro score with Sugihara getting credit for the RBI.

Maile Kim slinked a seeing-eye single up the middle that moved Sugihara to third and scored Senas with the go-ahead run. Sugihara then made it 4-2 on Nicole Morrow’s RBI fielder’s choice.

Valdosta State cut the lead to 4-3 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Musquiz kept the Blazers off the scoreboard in the final two innings.

Senas finished the day 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored and was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Musquiz, Sugihara and Morrow.