University of Hawai'i softball pitcher Justine Smethurst found the perfect way to help Bob Coolen earn his 600th career coaching victory.

Smethurst, a freshman right-hander from Australia, pitched a perfect game to defeat Longwood of Virginia, 6-0, in last night's opening round of the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.

Of the 21 batters Smethurst faced, only Ryan Washington managed to hit a ball past the infield, a soft flyout to right.

She struck out six, and went to a three-ball count three times.

"Jus was throwing really hard," catcher Kristi Yoshizawa said. "I think one of the things is they couldn't catch up to her speed."

Smethurst said: "That could have been a factor. A lot of the hits (10 of 15) were on the right side of the diamond."

In last night's late game, Hawai'i beat San Diego State, 1-0.

Smethurst said she can't recall precisely when she pitched a perfect game previously. "Probably back home sometime, when I was little, maybe," she said.

First baseman Tyleen Tausaga's run-scoring double sparked a four-run fourth. Center fielder Kaulana Gould added a two-run single in the fifth. That was more than enough support.

"This was an important game," Smethurst said. "I knew (Coolen) was going for his 600th. I felt privileged to be asked to pitch."

Coolen said he always experiences anxiousness before each game. This time, he admitted, "I did have a few more butterflies than normal. I think I was anticipating getting it out of the way, so we could move on. I can't believe it was a perfect game pitched by Jus."

Softball tradition calls for teammates and coaches not to say bo-peep when a pitcher is working on a no-hitter. As the game progressed, Coolen became more anxious about Smethurst's performance than his own milestone.

"I remember that perfect game I threw when I was just out of high school," Coolen said. "Nobody would talk to me . Nobody would go near me. I remember the feeling vividly. I remember the ballpark and everything. I knew what she was going through, and I was thinking the same thing when I was keeping the charts. I was pretty anxious for her."

Coolen's record is 600-435-1, including 528-342-1 at UH. He previously coached at Bentley.

"I would say 600 is a lot," Coolen said. "It's something. It means I've been doing this for a while, and hopefully I can keep it going, and they'll want to keep playing for me at the university, and the university will want me. There's not a lot of stability in our sport. You need to perform. I realize that. It's how I recruit. It's how the kids play, and it's how they go to school and get good grades. All of those variables I have to think about.

"Take all of those victories and add up all of the games I haven't won, and that's a lot of butterflies. But that's OK. It keeps me going. It keeps me young. It keeps me on the field."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.