WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University softball team concluded their 12-game home stand on the short end of a doubleheader sweep to Academy of Art Sunday at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park.
Six-run innings by the Urban Knights in both games proved to be the Silverswords undoing as they lost 7-2 and 14-8, dropping their record to 8-14 overall and 4-8 in the Pacific West Conference. Chaminade finished the home stand 4-8.
Academy of Art improved to 9-10-1 and 5-1 in the PacWest.
Game 1Making her first pitching appearance since Feb. 20 and first start since Feb. 13,
Amber Manuel was roughed up as ART U scored six times in the first inning. Manuel was chased after only 2/3 innings.
Meanwhile Urban Knights starter Brenna Mitchell baffled the 'Swords bats for the second straight game, allowing two hits through the first six innings.
But Chaminade finally got to her in the seventh. Trailing 7-1,
Kiana Ulufale led off with a towering fly ball to left center into the teeth of 20 mile-per-hour winds coming in from left field. The wind kept the ball in the yard but it hit off the fence for a double. Pinch hitter
Kaitlin Kim then celebrated her first career hit, tripling into the right field corner to bring Ulufale home, which was also Kim's first career RBI. Kim later scored on
Rainelle Matsuoka's single to left.
Mitchell earned the win to improve to 6-4, striking out four with three walks. Jessica West was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Manuel took the loss to fall to 0-1 while
Chelsea Camello came out of the bullpen, throwing 6 1/3 innings, scattering eight hits.
Kayla Henmi had two of the Silverswords' five hits. The 'Swords also committed a season-high five errors.
Game 2Similar to the first game, ART U was paced by a six-run inning, this time coming in the third. Ten batters stepped up to the plate with the first six getting either a hit or walk off Camello, who got the start, and reliever
Kayla Higuchi. The frame gave the Urban Knights a 7-1 lead.
The 'Swords got on the board in the bottom of the third on Matsuoka's RBI triple into the right field corner, her team-leading 15
th RBI of the season.
ART U got a run back in the fourth but so did Chaminade via
Jenn Betian who was plunked with the bases loaded.
The Silverswords then made things interesting in the fifth. Matsuoka led off with a single. Manuel then bounced a comebacker to Urban Knights' starter Hunter Allen but Allen's throw to second get the force on Matsuoka was wide of the bag, followed by
Nicole Erichsen's bloop single to right to load the bases.
Shannon Tagle then hit a chopper to shortstop Katie Tablada but Tablada's throw to get the force at third hit Manuel in the back, allowing all hands to be safe with Matsuoka coming home, giving Tagle her first career RBI. Two batters later, Kim delivered as a pinch hitter again, going back up the box to plate Manuel.
Sierra Mendiola then made it 8-5 with her RBI groundout.
After ART U responded with three runs in the sixth, Chaminade got a run back in the bottom of the frame as Manuel scored on a two-out throwing error.
The Urban Knights made it 14-6 in the top of the seventh with three runs in the inning, but the 'Swords again made the situation uncomfortable for the visitors. They loaded the bases with no outs then Manuel roped a comebacker off Allen's glove into center field to bring home Mendiola. Center field Andrea Gill's throw to home then sailed over the catcher to the backstop, allowing Betian to cross the plate, cutting the deficit to 14-8, putting
Ashlyn Yagin at third with Manuel stopping at second. But Allen managed to get the final two outs to secure the twin bill sweep.
Matsuoka, Manuel, Erichsen and Tagle each had two hits in the 'Swords' nine-hit game. Camello took the loss to fall to 3-6.
Brenna Youngquist was 4-for-4 and drove in six for ART U and was a triple short of the cycle. Mitchell 3-for-4 with three runs while Juliana Lopez came home four times. Allen struck out eight in the complete game win, although she allowed nine hits, walked seven and hit Betian twice.
The Silverswords begin the toughest part of their season next week when they embark on a 16-game, 14-day road trip. The 'Swords face last year's national runners-up Dixie State in St. George, Utah, next Wednesday, followed contests at California Baptist, Azusa Pacific and Concordia Irvine which have a combined record of 70-23. The team will then head to Turlock, California, for the annual Tournament of Champions presented by the City of Turlock.
