Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BRISBANE, CA – The Chaminade softball team continued its torrid run on the Mainland, sweeping Academy of Art in a doubleheader at Mission Blue Field, 4-1 and 4-2. The games were make-ups from Monday's rain-out.
The wins improved the Silverswords to 18-14 overall and 14-8 in the Pac West Conference, taking over sole possession of fourth place, only two games behind third-place Dixie State. CUH has won 12 of its last 13 games. They are also 9-1 on the current California road trip and it's the fourth doubleheader Mainland sweep during the trip, both program records.
In Game 1, the Swords opened the scoring in the second inning with an Ashely Phelps (Torrance, CA/South) 2-out base hit to center, scoring
Elia Lizarraga (Torrance, CA/Narbonne).
Chaminade would break the game open with three runs in their half of the fourth.
Letisha Vaba (Stockton, CA) was beaned on the first pitch of the inning, then
Samantha Ford (Honolulu, HI/Word of Life) walked on four pitches, prompting a pitching change. Phelps' sacrifice bunt moved both runners over and the next batter,
Shannan Hokama (Torrance, CA/South), the team's RBI leader, singled to right field, bringing home Vaba, moving Ford to third, while Hokama took second on the throw.
Kori Berinobis (Kaneohe, HI/Castle) brought Ford home with an RBI sacrifice fly to right as Hokama advanced to third.
Rayna Strom-Okimoto (Aiea, HI/Aiea), the reigning Hawai'i Tourism Authority Pac West Player of the Week, then belted a pitch into center for an RBI single, scoring Hokama, making it 4-0 Swords.
CUH pitcher
Brett Aspel (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) took over from there, retiring 11 of the last 13 batters she faced. She picked up the complete game win, allowing only one run, while striking out three and walking two. Hokama and Strom-Okimoto would each go 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.
In Game 2, the Urban Knights scored the game's opening run on Jessica Marin's RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning.
CUH knotted the game at 1 in the second on Hokama's RBI groundout, scoring Lizarraga.
In the third, the Swords loaded the bases when Lizarraga hit a bouncer to the shortstop, who then attempted to get the force at second, but pinch-runner
Brianne Hornos (Lihue, HI/Kaua'i) beat the throw to the bag, allowing Strom-Okimoto to scamper home, giving the Swords at 2-1 lead.
Art U opened the bottom of the fourth with three consecutive base hits off starter
Kaitlyn Watanabe (Kula, HI/Baldwin), the final being Taylor Thurman's game-tying single to left. Watanabe would be pulled for Aspel, who then struck out Julie Martin and induced a comebacker by Elyse Cordova to end the inning, keeping the score tied at 2.
In the sixth, the Swords would get a one-out single from Phelps. Two batters later, Berinobis go drive in the go-ahead run with a double to right field, bringing Phelps home. The next batter, Strom-Okimoto, drove in Berinobis with a double to center, giving the Swords a 4-2 lead.
Once again, Aspel would be a force in the circle. She worked a hitless bottom of the sixth, then retired the side in order in the seventh, preserving the 4-2 win and the doubleheader sweep. Aspel faced 13 batters, retiring 11, while allowing no runs or hits in the process. She picked up the win to improve to 10-8 on the season, lowering her ERA to 3.08.
Strom-Okimoto was 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run, while Berinobis went 2-for-4 with a run scored and one driven in.
“This team believes right now that they can come back and find a way to win,” Swords head coach Kent Yamaguchi said. “Bretty (Aspel) has been amazing the last few days, controlling her temperament, not rushing and pacing herself.”
The Swords are next in action at the Tournament of Champions Presented by Mizuno in Stanislaus, Calif., this Friday when they face San Francisco State at 4:15 p.m. PDT, followed by Cal State East Bay at 8 p.m. PDT. The Swords are the defending Bronze Bracket champions of the tournament.
