WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University softball team returned to its home field of Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park for the first time this season and earned a doubleheader split with Simon Fraser University on Tuesday.
The Silverswords dropped the first game, 5-1, but roared back in the nightcap, 10-1, scoring all their runs in a record-tying fifth inning.
Chaminade is 2-2 on the season while the Clan is 4-2.
Game 1
After scoring a run in the first inning, SFU got another when Taylor Lundrigan doubled to left-center. However, the 'Swords prevented another from scoring on a 7-6-2 putout at home plate on the trailing runner to keep the score 2-0.
Chaminade got on the board when
Jenn Betian led off the third with her first homer of the season, a line-drive laser to left-center, although the Clan got the run back in the fourth to go up, 3-1.
SFU then added insurance runs when Lundrigan capped a 4-for-4 night with a two-run homer in the seventh for the game's final margin.
Luana Moreno went the distance for the Silverswords, scattering 10 hits, allowing four earned runs with four walks and three strikeouts as she fell to 0-2 on the year.
Alia Stachoski went five innings, allowing only three hits to improve to 2-0 while Tori Belton threw two hitless innings to earn her first save of the year. Lundrigan was the Clans' offensive star by driving in three.
Game 2
Kayla Higuchi got the starting nod and, despite allowing runners to get to third in the first two innings, managed to come away unscathed. Shortstop
Rainelle Matsuoka also saved a run in the top of the third, by making a diving play on a Hailey Gearey grounder and getting the force at third on the lead runner to end the inning.
The Clan broke through in the fourth on Jada Yeo's RBI-double, although the run was unearned.
Chaminade had a chance to get on the board in the fourth but couldn't push a run across despite having the bases loaded.
But the 'Swords didn't waste the opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. Moreno, who earlier in the game got her first career hit, led off with an infield single. Consecutive walks to Betian and
Coco Stewart loaded the bases with no outs, despite Belton, who got the start, getting pulled for Stachoski.
Matsuoka then was plunked to drive pinch-runner
Kaitlin Kim, tying the game at 1. CUH's next batter,
Nicole Erichsen, then drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the go-ahead run in Betian to put the home team up, 2-1. However the merry-go-round didn't stop.
Kayla Henmi and Higuchi both walked, driving in two more runs with the latter getting her first career RBI to put Chaminade up, 4-1. Then freshman
Maureen Hutchinson delivered the big blow with her first career hit, a two-run single which just snuck over the out-stretched glove of the shortstop to make it 6-1.
Kim then reached on an error to reload the bases and, after another pitching change, Betian was beaned, bringing home another run, followed by another bases-loaded walk to Stewart, putting the Silverswords up 7-1. Then with the game-ending, mercy-rule run at third, Matsuoka hit a comebacker which got past the pitcher, allowing Kim to score. Meanwhile, Betian also scored on the play as the force-play was made at second base.
In all, 13 'Swords stepped up to the plate in the 10-run fifth, despite only two hits in the frame. Four runs were scored on walks while two others were via HBP. The 10 runs in a single inning tied the school record set in March 2014 against Dominican University of California when they scored 10 in the second inning.
Higuchi, who got her first career win on Feb. 5 against Western Washington, got the victory to improve to 2-0. She went five innings, allowing five hits and a walk while the only run scored off her was unearned, dropping her ERA to 3.11.
Along with Hutchinson's two RBIs, Matsuoka also had two RBI with Betian, Stewart, Erichsen, Henmi and Higuchi each getting one. Betian, who led the NCAA in hit-by-pitch average last season at 0.54, was plunked three times in the doubleheader.
Belton took the loss to fall to 2-2 while Sachoski allowed eight runs (four earned) in lasting only 1/3 inning and walking four.
The Silverswords return to action on Wednesday to face Western Oregon at CORP Field. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. with live streaming audio coverage on GoSwords.com.
