Softball Snaps Road Losing Streak at HPU

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KANEOHE, Hawai'i – Howard Okita Field has been unkind to Chaminade University softball over the years. That scenario changed on Saturday.
 
Nearly eight years after its last win in Kaneohe, the Silverswords ended the drought with a 5-3 victory over in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University in Game 1 of a Pacific West Conference doubleheader. The win snapped a 25-game road losing streak at HPU with the Silverswords' last win over the Sea Warriors on the Windward side of the island coming on April 29, 2006.
 
And the 'Swords did it without their head coach, Kent Yamaguchi, who was taken to the hospital just minutes before first pitch with a medical condition.
 
HPU (17-22 overall, 15-13 PacWest) took the second game, 5-1, to take the season series against CUH, 3-1.
 
Junior Brett Aspel tossed the complete game win for Chaminade (9-30, 7-21) in the first game, tying a career-high with six strikeouts, defeating the Sea Warriors for the first time in her career.
 
Chaminade catcher Ashley Phelps went 5-for-6 in the twinbill, raising her batting average to a team-best .391 on the season.
 
 
Game 1
With assistant coach Dean Yamaguchi serving as acting head coach the Silverswords drew first blood in the top of the second when HPU pitcher Kristen Caskey's throw on an Aja Keyes comebacker to open the inning went wide at first base. After Ciana Russ' sacrifice bunt to move Keyes to second, Theresa Capllonch hit a sinking liner to left, which went under the glove of left fielder Toni Baysa and rolled all the way to the fence. The error allowed Keyes to cross the plate for the game's first run.
 
Then Jenn Betian fouled out to deep right field, Capllonch tagged up from second and darted to third base, but Charisse Tanabe, who tried to throw out the CUH first baseman, bounced the throw to third and rolled into left field. That allowed Capllonch to come home, making it 2-0 Chaminade.
 
In the third, Elia Lizarraga opened the frame, crushing a deep fly off the glove of a retreating Baysa in left center. Ashley Phelps then singled through the hole on the right side, bringing Lizarraga home, giving the 'Swords a 3-0 advantage.
 
HPU got on the board in the bottom of the third when Caskey singled to right, but the throw to try and nail Keila Elderts from getting to third got past the Chaminade third baseman, allowing Elderts to score, cutting Chaminade's lead to 3-1.
 
Then in the top of the seventh, the 'Swords got a one-out single from Phelps, a Samantha Ford double to left allowing Phelps to reach third and a Keyes walk to load the bases. Two batters later, Capllonch came through in the clutch, lining a two-out single to left to plate Phelps. And like in the second inning, Baysa booted the ball, allowing Ford to also score on the play, giving Chaminade a 5-1 lead, heading to the bottom of the seventh.
 
But the Sea Warriors didn't go away quietly, opening their half of the seventh with four straight base hits while getting a run to close to 5-2. Baysa then hit a bases-loaded blooper to a diving Lizarraga. The centerfielder couldn't make the catch, but she recovered in time to throw out Chelsea Cramer, who had initially retreated back to second, forcing her out at third to get the first out of the frame. However, Tanabe scored on the play, cutting the HPU deficit to 5-3.
 
Chaminade then got the second out when Nicole Viena was called for runner's interference trying to get to third on Eldert's bouncer to Betian at shortstop. HPU head coach Bryan Nakasone protested the call, but the play stood. After the first pitch to the next batter Dorian Acierto, Nakasone was then ejected by the third base umpire for continuing to argue the call.
 
Acierto then walked to load the bases, putting the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on base, bringing up memories of last April 27 when HPU scored three runs in the seventh for a walk-off win.
 
However, that scenario did not repeat itself as second baseman Kristiann Endow, an ex-Sea Warrior who transferred to Chaminade two years ago, scooped up Caskey's roller to end the game, putting an end to the Silverswords' eight-year Windward side frustration.
 
Aspel (4-18) scattered seven hits and at one point, retired 10 straight from the third to sixth innings. The 'Swords pounded out 11 hits off Caskey – including four doubles – with Phelps going 3-of-4 from the dish while Capllonch and Betian got two each.
 
 
Game 2
HPU set the tone in its half of the first on RBI knocks from Kayla Sanchez and Tanabe as the Sea Warriors led 2-0.
 
In the Chaminade half of the fourth inning, Lizarraga and Phelps led off with singles off Caskey, who also got the Game 2 nod. Capllonch then hit a bouncer to the right side of the infield, but Lizarraga beat the throw to third on an attempted force play to load the bases with no outs. Two batters later, Betian lined a shot off Caskey's glove, but Elderts at shortstop played the misdirected ball to get Betian at first. On the play, Lizarraga scampered home, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
 
HPU added two insurance runs in the fifth on Sanchez's RBI sacrifice bunt and Caskey's RBI double then made it 5-1 in the sixth on a double from Elderts.
 
Chaminade tried to rally in its half of the sixth with back-to-back singles from Lizarraga and Phelps to open the frame, but a double-play squelched the threat. The 'Swords also threatened in the seventh on a Nicole Erichsen lead-off walk followed by Russ' bunt single. But Caskey (8-15) retired the next three Silverswords to end the contest.
 
The 'Swords were held to five hits in Game 2 with Lizarraga and Phelps getting two each. Kaitlyn Watanabe took the loss to fall to 4-8 on the year.
 
Elderts went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs for HPU.
 
Chaminade ends the season on Sunday, April 27 when it faces Hawai'i-Hilo at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Reigional Park with first pitch coming at 12 p.m. HST. Live streaming audio will be available on goswords.com.