TURLOCK, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team opened the 2016 Tournament of Champions sponsored by City of Turlock with a split Friday at the Pedretti Sports Complex.
The Silverswords mashed three homers including a game-ending grand slam by freshman catcher
Kiana Ulufale as they opened the TOC with a 14-4 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in five innings. The trio of long balls gave them 19 homers on the season, breaking the single season record of 18 set in 2013.
The win also snapped a 12-game losing streak and a seven-game skid in the tournament.
The 'Swords (9-25) concluded Day 1 with a 3-2 loss to Simon Fraser.
Game 1 vs. Cal State Dominguez HillsIt was an inauspicious start for the 'Swords and starter
Luana Moreno, who surrendered solo homers to two of the game's first three Toro batters in the top of the first.
Moreno rebounded in the second by striking out the side then the 'Swords, whose bats have been silent in previous weeks, awoke with a vengeance.
Kaleen Terayama and
Sierra Mendiola each singled then
Jenn Betian hit a towering three-run homer to left to put Chaminade ahead, 3-2, her second of the season. After
Coco Stewart singled, it was
Rainelle Matsuoka's turn to go yard, crushing a pitch to left. The freshman infielder's team-leading ninth homer of the year increased the Silverswords' lead to 5-2.
Chaminade added four more runs in the fourth on
Keani Passi's bases-loaded walk that forced in Betian, followed by Ulufale's RBI ground out. Terayama then singled to drive in pinch-runner
Ashlyn Yagin and when the Toros' centerfielder bobbled the ball on a hop, Passi scored to put the 'Swords up 9-2.
After CSUDH plated two runs in the top of the fifth, Betian scored her third run of the contest on
Amber Manuel's RBI bouncer up the middle. Passi then walked to load the bases and Ulufale stamped the exclamation point, crushing a pitch to left for the walk-off grand slam, her second dinger of the year. It was also the second granny for Chaminade this season after having only one in the previous seven seasons.
The 14 runs by the Silverswords are the most in two years when they hung 15 against Dominican in March 2013. Nine of their runs came with two outs.
Moreno got the win to improve to 6-11 on the season, striking out a career-high seven. Ulufale was 2-for-4 with five RBI while Betian went 2-for-4 with three RBI in addition to her three runs. Matsuoka's two runs driven in also gave her a team-best 23 on the year.
The Toros' Jamie Duran was charged with the loss to fall to 5-14.
Game 2 vs. Simon FraserThe Clan struck in the bottom of the first when Nicole Ratel was safe on a two-out throwing error, allowing Taylor Lundrigan to score from third. Simon Fraser then took a 2-0 lead in the third via a wild pitch.
The 'Swords rebounded in the top of the fourth when Betian's blooper down the right field line landed just fair. Her double allowed pinch-runner
Shannon Tagle and Mendiola to score, tying the game at 2.
But SFU got the go-ahead run in the sixth on Rachel Proctor's two-out ground-rule double to left.
The Silverswords managed to get the tying run to the plate in the seventh when Matsuoka drew a one-out walk but Chaminade was unable to get the equalizer.
Despite taking the loss to fall to 3-12,
Chelsea Camello went the distance, allowing only five hits and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. Two of the runs she allowed were earned. Betian's two RBI gave her five on the day.
Alia Stacholski got the win in relief to improve to 11-7.
The Silverswords face 25
th-ranked Chico State and Sonoma State Saturday starting at 1:30 p.m. HST in the second day of the TOC. Live streaming audio of both games will be on GoSwords.com.
