TURLOCK, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team concluded the second day of the Tournament of Champions Presented by Turlock Visitors and Convention Bureau by dropping a pair to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 in nine innings, followed by a five-inning loss to Saint Martin's, 12-4, at the Pedretti Sports Complex.
Ashley Phelps was 4-for-8 on the day with two runs scored while
Aja Keyes drove in three, all coming in the second game.
Game 1 vs. Cal State Dominguez HillsIt was heartbreak for the Silverswords as victory against CS Dominguez Hills was one strike away in the bottom of the seventh, then saw a two-run lead in the ninth evaporate.
Chaminade opened the scoring in the top of the third when
Shannan Hokama's infield slow roller to shortstop drove in Phelps to make it 1-0.
The Silverswords were also assisted by heads-up defense. In the fourth with Toros pinch runner Kara Balagey at third, Chaminade starter
Brett Aspel's pitch got past Phelps as Balagey took off for home. But the ball ricocheted off the backstop straight to Phelps who flipped to Aspel covering the plate to put out Balagey. Aspel then struck out Jasmine Ruiz to end the inning and preserve the 1-0 advantage.
The lead stood until the bottom of the seventh. Aspel retired the first two batters, allowed a two-out single to Alexis Veramontes, putting Murphy at the plate. Aspel battled Murphy to a full count and on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Murphy drove the ball to the wall in right field as Veramontes motored around the bags to end the game into extra innings.
With the international tie-breaker in effect (runner placed on second base to start the inning), both teams made spectacular defensive plays on the lead-off batter. In the bottom of the eighth, CSUDH's Alexandra Mootry attempted to bunt the runner to third, but popped the bunt up to CUH third baseman
Coco Stewart, who made a backwards falling catch, forcing the runner back to second. Toros catcher Kaci McGinnis made a similar play in the top of the ninth in foul territory.
Later in the ninth with lead runner Keys and Manuel on board,
Nicole Erichsen laced a two-out double to the left center fence, scoring both runners and giving Chaminade a 3-1 lead.
But the Toros loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth as a hit batsman, followed by a bases-loaded walk tied the game at 3. Murphy ended it with a deep single to the wall for the walk-off win.
Aspel (3-9) was brilliant, pitching all nine innings, allowing only three hits in the first six innings. Jamie Duran picked up the win, pitching nine innings while striking out seven.
Phelps, Manuel and
Elia Lizarraga each had two hits for Chaminade while Murphy's two hits both resulted in the tying- and walk-off runs.
Game 2 vs. Saint Martin'sThe Silverswords appeared to have no emotional letdown from the draining loss to the Toros, having to play just 15 minutes after the defeat. In the top of the first, Hokama drove in Lizarraga for the game's first run, who in turn was driven in by Keyes to give the 'Swords a 2-0 lead.
The Saints tied it at 2 in the second inning, but the 'Swords replied in the third. Phelps and Lizarraga opened the inning with back-to-back hits, then with two outs, Keyes ripped a double over the head of the right fielder to bring home both runners, tying the game at 4.
But the Saints took the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs, aided by three Chaminade errors.
In the fifth, SMU scored twice on three consecutive hits to take an 11-4 lead, then Dani Wall ended the game via the run-rule on an RBI single to give it the 12-4 win.
Luana Moreno (3-10) took the loss, allowing five runs, although none were earned. Kim Nelson earned the win to improve to 5-8.
Chaminade (7-28) faces Pacific West Conference foe Academy of Art in the Consolation semifinals Sunday at 11 a.m. PDT at the Turlock Sports Complex. The winner will face the Western Oregon-UC San Diego victor for the consolation championship. Live streaming audio will be available on GoSwords.com.
