HONOLULU – The Chaminade University softball team returned to action for the first time in two weeks and managed a split against Saint Martin's University Saturday at McKinley High School Field.
The Silverswords (1-3) captured their first win of the season with an 8-6 victory as they handed the Saints their first loss of the season. Saint Martin's (7-1) won the second game, 5-2, to salvage a split of the doubleheader.
Keani Passi, Chaminade's first-ever volleyball All-American, made her presence felt this time on the diamond, blasting her first career homer in the 'Swords' five-run first inning in Game 1, then hitting a towering two-run shot in the nightcap.
Chelsea Camello was spectacular in a relief effort for Chaminade in the opener, tossing 4 1/3 innings in picking up her first win in 23 months.
Game 1Saint Martin's tacked on three runs in the top of the first as the first four batters reached off starter
Amber Manuel.
Chaminade countered in its half of the frame, loading the bases with one out. Manuel reached on an error by SMU third baseman Megan Miller, bringing home
Coco Stewart from third, keeping the bags juiced.
Kiana Ulufale then hit a hopper to Miller who threw out
Rainelle Matsuoka at the plate but catcher Jackie Schmaeling's throw to first base hit Ulufale in the back and rolled into right field, allowing
Jenn Betian to scamper home for the 'Swords second run.
That brought up Passi to the plate who then promptly crushed Kim Nelson's 2-1 pitch into the branches of the large banyan tree in left field as her three-run homer put Chaminade ahead 5-3. Passi's blast was estimated to have traveled 275 feet.
SMU managed to squeak out a run in the second but the 'Swords answered as Stewart's liner to right center fell between the two fielders and rolled to the fence for her first career triple. Miller committed her second error of the game as her throw to get
Kayla Henmi pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing the freshman to get to second and scoring Stewart. Matsuoka then doubled into the right center gap, bringing Henmi home. Two batters later, Matsuoka came around to score on Manuel's sacrifice fly to left which put Chaminade up, 8-4.
The Saints added two runs in the third to close to 8-6 and with two outs in the bottom of the third, Camello was summoned and got the final out of the inning.
But from there, pitching dominated. SMU's Loryn Williams, who came in the bottom of the second, was brilliant, retiring 11 in a row and struck out nine. At one point, Williams K'd five straight. Of her 47 pitches, 42 were for strikes.
Meanwhile, Camello matched Williams, inning for inning. The senior, who made only six appearances last season with nine innings pitched, scattered four hits and two walks. And although the Saints brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh with one out, Camello dug deep, getting pop ups to Betian and Matsuoka in foul territory at first to end the game.
Betian had two hits of Chaminade's seven base hits while SMU's Lauren Diuco and Alyssa Slate also had a pair. Nelson took the loss for the Saints. Camello did not allow a run in her second straight outing, keeping her ERA at a spotless 0.00.
Game 2Unlike the start of the first game of the twinbill, the second was a pitcher's duel between Saint Martin's Lauren Maley and Chaminade's
Luana Moreno.
In the top of the third, Schmaeling send Moreno's pitch to deep right center where Passi appeared to have made the catch as she barreled into and knocked the fence down. But the umpiring crew ruled that she knocked the fence down before the ball hit her glove and awarded Schmaeling with a two-run homer.
The Saints added a third run in the fourth to go up 3-0 but in the bottom of the frame, Passi did it again. This time, she hit a sky-high fly ball to left center which kept carrying. Left fielder Lindsey Miller retreated back and reached out but the ball caromed off her glove as she reached over the fence, giving Passi her second homer of the day, becoming the first 'Sword to homer in back-to-back games since Rayna Strom-Okimoto did it on April 6, 2013.
Passi's dinger cut the deficit to 5-3 but SMU added a two-spot in the top of the fifth on Alyssa French's ground-rule double to left center.
Williams was then summoned in relief again in the bottom of the fifth and was nearly untouchable as she retired six straight. Chaminade counted with
Kayla Higuchi who, like Camello in the first game, kept the Saint Martin's bats in check, allowing only one hit, a sixth-inning single, in her three innings of shutout relief.
In the bottom of the seventh, Passi led off with a liner into left, ending Williams' streak of 17 straight retired. Two batters later,
Kaleen Terayama reached on an error as Passi made it to second, allowing the tying run to come to the plate. However Williams got the last two batters go strike out to preserve the win.
Maley got the win to improve to 2-0, allowing three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Williams got the three-inning save, her first of the year.
Moreno took the loss for Chaminade, dropping her record to 0-2.
SMU had 11 hits with four players getting two each. Passi's two hits led the 'Swords in Game 2.
The Silverswords return to the field Monday against BYU-Hawai'i in a non-conference double-dip at BYUH Softball Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
