Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Chaminade University softball team continues to experience growing pains, falling in a Pacific West Conference doubleheader to Dixie State, 14-1 and 11-0 with both games ending in five innings, Monday at Karl Brooks Field.
The Silverswords fell to 7-21 on the year, 6-18 in the PacWest and have lost 13 straight. The second-place Red Storm, who is ranked just outside the NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, improved to 29-8 and 17-5.
Playing at nearly 3,000 feet of elevation, DSU scored in every inning in the first game, powering out four home runs, the most allowed by the 'Swords this season. The Red Storm completed the sweep in the second as Michelle Duncan and Mattie Snow combined to fire a no-hitter, throwing one above the minimum, while the team rapped out 10 hits.
Game 1
Dixie State jumped all over Chaminade starter
Brett Aspel in the bottom of the first inning as four of the first five batters singled. Sheila Gelter's bases-loaded single drove in a run for a 1-0 Red Storm lead, then Bailee Freeland added another on a sacrifice fly to right. An error with two outs followed by a steal of home by Woodfall made it 4-0.
The Red Storm continued to make contact in the second, getting a two-run homer by Nicole Chavez, making it 6-0, prompting
Marisella Rodriguez from the bullpen. But the redshirt freshman from Pearl City, Hawai'i, fared no better, allowing three runs, including a two-run blast by Marla Reiter, increasing the DSU lead to 9-0 with still no out. Dixie State would plate two more, seven total in the second inning, making it 11-0. Rodriguez finally ended the onslaught, retiring Chavez, the 11th batter in the frame, to fly out to centerfielder
Elia Lizarraga to end the inning.
The 'Swords tried to make it competitive in the third as
Sierra Mendiola drew a lead-off walk, then advanced to second via interference on
Kaleen Terayama's bunt. Phelps then moved Mendiola to third on a fielder's choice bunt, putting runners at the corners with one out. Lizarraga got Chaminade on the board with her infield single to first base, driving in Mendiola, the junior's first RBI of the season.
Aja Keyes drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Red Storm hurler Aryn Feikert got a strikeout to prevent further damage.
Chaminade managed to get a lead-off double by
Ciana Russ in the fourth, but was left stranded there. In the fifth and trying to stave off the run-rule, the 'Swords got back-to-back singles from
Ashley Phelps and Lizarraga but reliever Brooklyn Beardshear got a force-out at third, a strikeout and pop-up to end the game.
Feickert (14-6) got the win, allowing the lone run with two hits, two walks with six strikeouts in four innings of work. Aspel (3-12) was tagged with the loss, lasting only one-plus innings, allowing six runs, four unearned, on six hits. Rodriguez went the remaining three, but was also hit hard for eight runs on nine base knocks.
Lizarraga was 2-for-3 with an RBI in defeat for Chaminade. Phelps and Russ got the two other base hits. Three Red Storm batters had two hits and two RBI each.
Game 2
Aspel got the call in Game 2, and similar to the first, the Red Storm jumped all over the junior southpaw, tagging her for five runs in the bottom of the first, one of them coming on an error.
Dixie State struck again in the second, on a two-run homer by Courtney Sherwin, the team's fifth long ball of the day, making it 7-0. They added three more in the third, two of them via fielding errors, putting the run-rule in effect.
Meanwhile Duncan, who was selected to the preseason all-PacWest team as a pitcher, was untouchable, retiring 12 of the 13 batters she faced, surrendering only a lead-off walk to shortstop
Jenn Betian in the third. She was replaced in the fifth inning by Snow, who retired the side in order to complete the no-no.
It was the first time the 'Swords have been no-hit since Gabby Hawkins of BYU-Hawai'i blanked them on March 9, 2011.
Duncan (7-1) got the win, striking out two in the process. Aspel (3-13) went the distance for Chaminade, but was tagged for 10 hits, four walks and 11 runs, eight unearned.
The 'Swords and Red Storm conclude their four-game series on Tuesday with another doubleheader with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. MDT. The first game only will have live video on this
link.
