Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 HAYWARD, CA – The Chaminade softball team continued their winning ways, extending their win streak to nine games, as the Silverswords downed Holy Names, 7-2 in Game 1, then got a season-high three home runs in a 7-3 Game 2 victory in a doubleheader today at the Cal State East Bay campus.
The Silverswords improved to 15-13 overall and 11-7 in the Pac West, putting them with a fourth-place tie with Notre Dame de Namur. The Hawks fell to 11-25 and 6-8.
In Game 1, Holy Names struck first on a Cindy Palamares RBI single in the bottom of the first. The Swords responded in their half of the second inning, taking advantage of four Hawks errors. After
Samantha Ford (Honolulu, HI/Word of Life) walked,
Ashley Phelps (Torrance, CA/South) got on board on a throwing error by the third baseman, allowing Ford to scamper to third and Phelps to second, but the right fielder threw the ball away for a second error on the play, scoring Ford and sending Phelps to third. The next batter,
Shannan Hokama (Torrance, CA/South), reached on an error by the first baseman, allowing Phelps to come home, giving Chaminade a 2-1 lead. The Swords added another run as
Rayna Strom-Okimoto (Aiea, HI/Aiea) singled to center, bringing Hokama home and a 3-1 CUH lead.
Chaminade added three more runs in the fifth.
Aja Keyes (Kaneohe, HI/Lutheran) and
Tumamaopavaiai Enos (Pahoa, HI/Pahoa) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Two batters later,
Letisha Vaba (Stockton, CA) was plunked, loading the bases with one out. Ford then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring
Dominique Bocanegra (Brisbane, CA/Terra Nova), who came in to pinch run for Keyes. Phelps then stepped up to the plate and smashed a double to right center, scoring Enos and Vaba, making it 6-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, HNU made things interesting by loading the bases on starter
Brett Aspel (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union), but the sophomore hurler got Hailey McGuigan to ground out to second, ending the inning, preserving the five run lead.
The Swords made it 7-1, when
Rayna Strom-Okimoto opened the sixth with her third home run of the season, and her second in as many days. The Hawks got a second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Moanalua High School graduate Britini Ronolo scored on an error.
Aspel picked up the win, scattering nine hits, walking two while striking out four as she evened her record to 7-7. Kayla Simonson (2-2) took the loss. Strom-Okimoto went 3-for-4 and a home run with two RBI and a run scored. Enos went 2-for-2 at the dish, while walking twice.
The Swords got off to an explosive start in Game 2 by sending nine batters to the plate in the first inning. Hokama led off the game by homering to right center, her second blast of the season. After
Kori Berinobis (Kaneohe, HI/Castle) singled, Strom-Okimoto took a Nicole Ochoa pitch over the center field fence for a 2-run homer, her team-leading fourth of the season, and her third in as many games, giving CUH a 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the first.
In the top of the third,
Elia Lizarraga led off the inning by doubling down the left field line. Vaba then singled, putting runners at the corners with no outs. An error by the left fielder brought Lizarraga home and two batters later, another error moved Ford and Vaba to second and third, respectively. Then Berinobis delievered a 2-out, 2-run double to left center, giving the Swords a 6-0 lead.
Holy Names would score two unearned runs in the bottom of the third, cutting the Chaminade lead to 6-2. The Swords would get a run back in the fourth when Enos connected on a solo home run, her second this season, giving CUH a 7-2 advantage.
Kaitlyn Watanabe (Kula, HI/Baldwin) pitched a complete game, 7-hitter and allowed no earned runs. The sophomore won her third consecutive start, improving to 8-5 on the year. Ochoa took the loss, falling to 7-10. Berinobis, Strom-Okimoto and Keyes had two hits each, while Berinobis and Strom-Okimoto also had two RBI.
"The team is playing really well, our defense is playing great, we're getting some good pitching," Swords head coach Kent Yamaguchi said. "Our hitting is finally coming around, so we feel that even if we give up some runs, we can come back. We're also gettting a lot of support from family, all the moms and dads, aunties and uncles."
The Swords are back in action on Monday when they face Academy of Art in a Pac West doubleheader, beginning at 12 p.m. PDT (9 a.m. HST).
