In the championship game of the ninth annual Capitol Classic SoftballTournament, both the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Texas Tech Red Raiders provedwhy they were the two best teams to take the field during the four-daygala.

“It was fitting for them to meet (in the finals),” said Hornet headcoach Kathy Strahan, who was in attendance for the final game. “Theywere playing the best.”

The proof was in the pitching, particularly the pitching efforts fromIowa?s Kristi Hanks and the Red Raiders Amanda Renfro. During Sunday?sextra inning affair, both Hanks and Renfro each pitched eight inningswhile combining for 13 strikeouts and a single walk. Yet, it was Hanks?performance and timely hitting from Lisa Rasche that allowed the13th-ranked Hawkeyes to escape Sacramento with a 1-0 victory.

After playing to a 0-0 tie at the end of seven innings, Rasche roped aRBI single in the eighth inning, scoring Amber Morrow. With theinternational tiebreaker rule in effect, Morrow was placed on secondbase as the team’s designated runner at the start of the inning.

But the story of the tournament was the play of Hanks, who posted aperfect 5-0 mark with an astonishing 0.31 ERA. Including the seven RedRaiders she sent packing during Sunday?s championship game, Hankstallied 29 strikeouts while walking just five for the tournament.”She?s their ace,” said Strahan, whose Hornets upset the Hawkeyes lastTuesday at home. “I think she is or will be an All-American.”

Despite her four-day run of success, Hanks greatest accomplishment cameduring the seventh and eighth innings Sunday, when she stamped out twoRed Raider threats. After Carmen Grindell laced a triple to the fence inthe seventh inning, the hard-throwing right-hander induced a shortpop-up and a groundout to leave Grindell stranded in scoring positionand the Red Raiders off the scoreboard. In the eighth inning, sitting ona one run lead, Hanks personally sealed the fate of the Red Raiders,mowing down Rachelle Biber and Rebecca Eiman to start the inning. WithTiffany Harrington, Texas Tech?s designated runner standing in scoringposition, Hanks got Tracy Cartier to line out, ending the game and thetournament.

By claiming their third Capitol Classic trophy in six appearances, themost in tournament history, the Hawkeyes leapt passed Cal into first asthe Capitol Classic?s all-time most successful program, with a mark of(34-11-1).