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Box Score 2 TURLOCK, Calif. – The struggles of the Chaminade University softball team continued Saturday in the final day of pool play at the Tournament of Champions Presented by the Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Silverswords fell 9-1 in five innings in their first game of the day to Cal State San Bernardino at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex.
Chaminade completed pool play with a 1-0 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay at the Pedretti Sports Complex, as the 15th-ranked Otters got a walk-off single from Courtney Varela in the seventh inning. The Silverswords finished 0-5 in pool play, dropping them to 7-28 on the season.
Game 1 vs. Cal State San BernardinoThe Coyotes struck first in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI double from Tiffany McIntosh for a 1-0 Cal State San Bernardino lead.
The 'Swords responded in the top of the second when
Aja Keyes singled to lead off the inning.
Ciana Russ then laid down a sacrifice bunt with Keyes moving all the way to third when the Coyotes failed to cover the base. First baseman
Theresa Capllonch brought home the Chaminade designated player with her RBI single to center as the Silverswords tied the game at 1.
But errors would plague the 'Swords in the fourth as three infield miscues led to five CSUSB runs and a 6-1 lead. Four of those runs off starter
Kaitlyn Watanabe were unearned.
In the fifth, the Coyotes blew the game open. With the bases loaded and two out, Tanya Chacon hit a two-run single to increase their lead to 8-1. After a walk to again load the bases, Alyssa Ramos delivered the knock-out blow with a base hit to center field to bring home the winning run to end the game on the run-rule, 9-1.
Watanabe (3-6) absorbed the loss, scattering 10 hits with four walks and a strikeout. Five of the nine runs she allowed were earned. Chaminade was held to three hits on the day with Keyes going 2-for-2 and a run scored. Capllonch had the other with an RBI.
Stephanie Luhman (10-7) earned the win for the Coyotes (22-17), tossing a three-hitter with no walks and a strikeout. Ramos had three hits with three runs batted in.
Game 2 vs. No. 15 Cal State Monterey BayOn paper, the game was a mismatch. Yet, Chaminade starter
Brett Aspel went pitch-for-pitch with Cal State Monterey Bay ace Lindsey Clarkson, the California Collegiate Athletic Association leader in wins and ERA.
The Otters, ranked 15th in the nation, mounted several threats, putting runners on second and third with one out in the first inning and loading the bases in the fifth. But Aspel put out the fire in the second inning, inducing an infield pop-up and a strikeout, then getting the inning-ending flyout in the fifth.
Conversely, the Silverswords also had ample opportunities to plate runs. In the second, Keyes walked then Russ doubled to left, putting them at third and second respectively with one out. Clarkston would get a pop-up and strikeout to end the inning.
In the fifth,
Jenn Betian and
Kaleen Terayama had back-to-back one-out singles, but a double play ended the inning. And in the sixth,
Ashley Phelps led off with a single and eventually made her way to third, but was left stranded.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Otters loaded the bases on two walks and an infield single with no outs leading to Varela's walk-off single to center.
Aspel (3-17) pitched a gem, scattering six hits with four walks and a strikeout, throwing only 89 pitches. Phelps, Russ, Betian and Terayama each had one base hit. The 'Swords struck out only once against Clarkson, who came in the game second in the CCAA in strikeouts with 104.
Clarkson (18-3) allowed four hits and a walk, needing 107 pitches to earn the win for the Otters (33-5). Cal State Monterey Bay's Nicole Pires was the game's only player with two hits.
The Silverswords concludes the TCVB TOC on Sunday in the consolation round of bracket play and will face Simon Fraser at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex at 11:15 a.m. PDT. The winner will play in the consolation championship at 1:30 p.m. PDT.
