BELMONT, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team was looking to keep the momentum of a four-game winning streak going Monday. Instead, they suffered two tough losses to Notre Dame de Namur.
The Silverswords (7-21 overall, 6-12 Pacific West Conference) dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 1 at Notre Dame High School, then couldn't hang on to a late-inning lead as they lost the nightcap, 6-4.
Coco Stewart, who earlier in the day was named PacWest Player of the Week, went 3-for-7 in the twinbill, including her second home run of the season in the first game.
Kaleen Terayama drove in a career-high three in Game 2, the first multi-RBI game of her career.
Lindsay Handy was 4-for-4 with two runs in the doubleheader for the Argonauts (14-15, 9-5).
Game 1The Silverswords led off the second inning with a walk by
Jenn Betian followed by a
Shannan Hokama bunt single. With one out and Betian at third base,
Theresa Capllonch hit a grounder to shortstop for a potential inning-ending double-play, but Capllonch was safe at first allowing Betian to score the game's first run.
The lead would be short-lived as Taylor Haynes' two-run triple and Melissa Ortega's RBI single in the bottom half of the frame gave the Argos a 3-1 lead. Chaminade starter
Brett Aspel surrendered three hits and two walks in the inning
But Aspel settled down by tossing four scoreless innings, retiring 14 of the last 17 batters she faced.
The 'Swords then mounted a rally in the top of the seventh. Stewart led off with a solo blast, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Two batters later, pinch-hitter
Luana Moreno hit a one-out single to put the tying run on base, but the 'Swords were unable to push the equalizer across.
Argos starter Shelby Reali improved to 6-8, going the distance in allowing five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Aspel (3-6) allowed four hits, none after the third inning, and walked three. She also struck out six, tying her career-high.
Stewart was 2-for-3 with her homer, the only Silversword with a multi-hit game. Handy went 2-for-2 with a run scored for NDNU.
Game 2The Argos struck first in the nightcap on Breanna Young's solo homer off starter
Kaitlyn Watanabe in bottom of the first inning.
But the 'Swords had a response in the second when Terayama got her first career extra-base hit, a double which scored Hokama and
Sierra Mendiola, giving Chaminade a 2-1 lead.
The Silverswords added another run in the fourth when Hokama drew a lead-off walk, then scampered home on Terayama's RBI bunt groundout. NDNU cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning on a run-scoring single by Cynthia Ream-Garcia, making it 3-2 Chaminade.
In the fifth, the 'Swords loaded the bases on an
Amber Manuel single, a Betian double and a Hokama walk. An error at second base on Mendiola's at-bat brought Manuel home to increase their lead to 4-2 with the bases still juiced, but the 'Swords were unable to plate additional runs.
NDNU rallied with a run in the fifth then three more in the sixth, the big blow being Monica Volz's two-run double off reliever
Luana Moreno which gave the Argos a 5-4 lead. Moreno faced four batters in the sixth but failed to record in out. Aspel relieved her and, despite runners at second and third with no outs, retired the next three batters, although one of the outs resulted in a sacrifice fly for a 6-4 NDNU lead.
The 'Swords were retired in order in the seventh.
Jenna Bassler (7-4) got the win, scattering nine hits while walking four with two strikeouts. Moreno (3-7) suffered the defeat, allowing three runs on five hits in one inning of work.
Manuel was 2-for-4 at the dish with a run scored for the 'Swords while Terayama had all three Chaminade RBI. The Silverswords also hurt themselves by stranding four runners at third base during the second game.
Toni Cardonza and Handy had two hits each for the Argos.
Chaminade's road trip continues Tuesday when it faces Academy of Art in a doubleheader in Brisbane, Calif.
