April 28, 2007

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LOGAN, Utah - Junior 3B Amy Schaible set the Utah State single season home run record that gave the Aggies the team home run record in Utah State's 14-2 five inning loss to 14th-ranked Hawai'i in game two. USU was no-hit in an 11-0 five inning loss in the first game of Saturday's Western Athletic Conference doubleheader, spoiling USU's Senior Day in the Aggies' final home games at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field.

Seniors CF Ashley Bellum, P Jill Bruins, DP/1B Jamie Fife, OF Lauren Guzman, P Lexy Perry, C Jami Uragami all played their final home games in an Aggie uniform and were honored in a short ceremony prior to the start of play.

With the two wins, Hawai'i clinches the regular-season WAC title. , its second WAC crown in their 11 years in the league.

Schaible blasted her 11th round-tripper of the season, passing the previous single-season record of 10 dingers, done three times by two different players: Sara Fleming (2005) and Sandy Taylor (1999 and 2000). It was Schaible's 14th homer of her Aggie career, needing four to tie Jennifer Power (1991-94) and Breanne Smith (1999-2002) at the No. 3 spot on the USU career HR list with 18.

The big fly was USU's 33rd of the year as a team, establishing a new team single-season record by passing the previous mark of 32 by the 2005 squad.

The loss was USU's fourth in a row as the Aggies now have a 17-31 overall and 5-10 WAC ledger. Hawai'i won its 21st game in last 23 outings as the Rainbow Wahine end their regular-season with a 45-9 overall and 16-2 WAC record.

UH beat USU for the 15th time in the last 20 meetings and the Aggies are now 16-23 all-time vs. the Rainbow Wahine.

Rainbow Wahine Justine Smethurst fired a no-hitter in game one, her second no-no of her career against the Aggies as she threw a perfect game last year on May 5, 2006 at Hawai'i.

UH gave Smethurst some run support before she even took the mound, as Tanisha Milca belted a home run in the second pitch of the game, as Hawai'i plated one run in each of the first two innings followed by three runs in the third. After going scoreless in the fourth and fifth, the Rainbow Wahine blew the game open by hanging six on the board in the sixth. Richie-Anne Titcomb dealt the big blow with a bases-clearing triple to right center.

Game two opened with Hawai'i hanging an eight-spot on the board, hitting two home runs in the inning, part of the Rainbow Wahine's five in the game and seven for the weekend, as UH continues to add to its WAC single-season HR record with 79 dingers, which rank in the top five in the country.

Utah State had a hit in each of the first two innings, as Bellum had a single in the first and freshman C Simone Hubbard had a double to right center in the second.

In the fourth, the Aggies mounted a rally as Fife had a walk and later moved to third on a single by freshman LF Emily Reilly, but the threat was thwarted with a groundout.

Hawai'i plated five in the fifth, as Alana Power opened the inning with a homer down the left field line and Kate Robinson later blasted a three-run home run to left center for her second round-tripper of the game and her UH school record 18th of the season.

In the USU fifth, freshman 2B Nicole Rupp singled to left and two batters later, Schaible boomed her home run over the left field fence. After UH brought on Jessica Morton in relief, Bellum welcomed her fellow Grants Pass, Ore., native with a single to right center. The rally ended as sophomore 1B Aubrie Stroman hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Utah State concludes regular-season action with a three-game WAC series with its Aggie brethren, New Mexico State, next weekend, Friday and Saturday, May 4-5, at Las Cruces, N.M.

USU will then play in the WAC Tournament May 10-13 at Fresno, Calif. Contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office at (435)797-0305 or at 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831) for ticket information.