KANEOHE, O'ahu, Hawai'i – On April 5, the Chaminade University softball team's Senior Day was spoiled by Hawai'i Pacific University. A month later, the Silverswords couldn't return the favor.
Playing in the month of May for the first time since 2011, the 'Swords were swept by the Sharks, 11-3 and 6-2, in the season finale, HPU's Senior Day, for both teams Saturday at Howard Okita Field.
All six senior position players for Chaminade recorded at least one base hit in the final playing day of their careers.
The Silverswords ended the season at 10-38 and 9-23 in the Pacific West Conference while the Sharks finished theirs at 26-21-1 and 16-15-1.
Video highlights Game 1The 'Swords, playing their first games in two weeks, capitalized on a pair of Shark mistakes to open the game.
Ashley Phelps opened the game with a lead-off single then moved to third on
Elia Lizarraga's sacrifice bunt and throwing error by HPU catcher Carolann Toyama. Phelps came home on a
Shannan Hokama single, then Lizarraga scored Chaminade's second run of the inning on a wild pitch to take a 2-0 lead.
The Sharks looked to make some noise in their half of the first on Dorian Acierto's drive to the left-center fence, but was thrown out by
Jenn Betian at third when Acierto attempted to stretch a double into a triple, ending the frame.
In the second, HPU put up a five-spot to take a 5-2 lead, the big blow being Courtney Ahlo's bases-clearing triple to right field and a Sharks' six-run fourth inning made it 11-2.
Then in the top of the fifth,
Kristiann Endow, who began her career at HPU, crushed a no-doubter into the trees in left to reduce the deficit to 11-3, becoming the first Silversword to homer at Okita Field since Kaiwi Naiwi went yard there on April 10, 2011. It was Endow's first homer of the season and the second of her career.
Seniors accounted for all five of Chaminade's hits in the contest. Starter
Brett Aspel lasted 3 1/3 innings in her final career start, allowing nine runs – six earned – on nine hits with four walks, dropping her record to 5-15.
HPU starter Paige Crawford improved to 8-7. Ahlo drove in four while Chelsea Cramer had two RBI.
Game 2The Sharks struck first in the bottom of the third as an error paved the way for three straight hits off starter
Kaitlyn Watanabe, giving them a 4-0 lead. Aspel relieved her fellow senior and retired the side on consecutive strikeouts.
The Silverswords got on the board in the top of the fourth when
Aja Keyes ripped a two-out double down the left field line, then came home on
Amber Manuel's single to center, the junior's first RBI since March 27.
Meanwhile, Aspel quieted the HPU bats, retiring 10 of the first 13 she faced, including two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Sharks finally got to her, getting a pair of RBI hits to extend their lead to 6-1.
The 'Swords made noise in their final inning of the year when Betian deposited Kristen Caskey's pitch over the 210-foot sign in left center to make it 6-2, her team-leading sixth homer of the season, the most since Rayna Strom-Okimoto had nine in 2013. Chaminade then got singles from
Theresa Capllonch and Endow to put the tying run in the on-deck circle, but were unable to get the runners to cross.
Manuel and Capllonch each went 2-for-3 for Chaminade in the second game. Hokama ended her career with a five-game hit streak and an eight-game streak in which she reached base. Watanabe absorbed the loss to fall to 1-12.
Caskey scattered eight hits to improve to 12-10 on the season. Sharae Esprecion was HPU's hitting star in the second game, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Phelps ended the season as the Silverswords batting champion for the second straight year, finishing her final year with a .348 average. The catcher also finished the season as the PacWest's only player with a 1.000 fielding percentage for players with more than 100 chances.
As a team, Chaminade belted out 16 home runs, the team's most since 2013.
